POLY(VINYL ALCOHOL) AND GUM ARABIC ELECTROSPUN NANOFIBERS WITH COPPER NANOPARTICLES FOR VETERINARY APPLICATIONS

A. B. Mendes^a, D. S. Pellosi^a, M. B. Molento^b and I. C. Riegel-Vidotti^a

^aDepartment of Chemistry, UFPR, Brazil

^bDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, UFPR, Brazil

([email protected], www.gpmin.ufpr.br)

The treatment of infected wounds and chronic lesions is a major challenge in veterinary medicine due to the difficulty in healing such wounds. Nanotechnology has been widely studied for the development of controlled release systems that can assist in this process¹. Electrospun nanofibers, produced from polymer dispersions, are flexible and versatile, making them a promising platform for wound healing as they can incorporate different components². Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) are widely studied for their antimicrobial properties³, but their susceptibility to oxidation is a drawback. Encapsulation of CuNPs in polymers has been shown to improve their stability. The objective of this study is to incorporate CuNPs into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) and gum arabic (GA) nanofibers, aiming to form a 'patch' as a unique active component, using the electrospinning technique, for veterinary application in animal wound healing. The CuNPs were synthesized via chemical reduction, and the particles were characterized for stability, morphology, and size, with a hydrodynamic diameter of approximately 60 nm. The PVOH and GA nanofibers were obtained through optimization of electrospinning parameters, with a flow rate of 0.012 ml min^-1, voltage of 13 kV, and distance of 13 cm between the needle and the collector. Initial tests for incorporating CuNPs into the PVOH-GA nanofibers are currently in progress, indicating that this is a promising strategy for the development of veterinary wound dressings.

Acknowledgement: CAPES/PROEX, CNPq.

References.

1. R. Goyal et al. J. Control. Release 2016, 240, 77-92.
2. L.A. Mercante et al. Eletrofiação e nanofibras: fundamentos e aplicações. Atena, 2023.
3. M.J. Hajipour et al. Trends Biotechnol. 2012, 30 (10), 499-511.