Preparation and characterization of electrospun PLA-PEG-MAX phase composite membranes loaded with curcumin as a model drug for use in wound dressings

Abstract

Although there hasn't been much research on the use of MAX phases in medicine, MXenes—which are derived from their precursor MAX phases—have been investigated as additives to increase the efficiency of polymer matrices in drug administration. The labor-intensive synthesis procedure and manufacturing costs involved in turning MAX phases into MXenes can be minimized by using MAX phases rather than MXene. In this instance, Ti3AlC2 (MAX phase) poly(lactic acid) (PLA) electrospun membranes have been developed for curcumin delivery and release. The plasticized PLA composite membrane (PE1MX membrane), which has shown low cytotoxicity, promotes the proliferation of mouse fibroblast L929 cells. The toughness of the PE1MX membrane is much higher (8.82 MJ m-3) than that of the plasticized PLA membrane (0.63 MJ m-3), mainly due to the performance-enhancing effect of the MAX phase. Moreover, the curcumin-loaded plasticized PLA composite membrane (PE1MXC membrane) exhibits high water vapor transfer (7350 g m-2 day-1), high porosity (85 %), good water wettability, and antibacterial properties against E. coli and S. aureus. An improvement in Cur-delivery performance is the MAX phase. Curcumin release over a period of seven days is improved from 45.09 % (the curcumin-loaded plasticized PLA membrane; PEC membrane) to 66.52 % (PE1MXC membrane) by curcumin diffusion from the MAX phase surface and polymer fibers, which results in overall high curcumin adsorption and release sites. This research highlights the potential applications of the MAX phase as a curcumin release enhancer for long-term drug administration, as well as its potential to be used with other environmentally friendly polymers and pharmaceuticals.