Formulation and Evaluation of Electrospun Nanofiber Mats of Curcumin and Leaf Extract of Centella asiatica: Designed for Accelerating Diabetic Wound Healing

Abstract

Traditional herbs like Centella asiatica and curcumin possess considerable therapeutic value, though curcumin's clinical use is limited by its poor bioavailability. Electrospun nanofibers address this limitation by significantly increasing effective surface area and improving drug delivery performance. Combining curcumin, a known antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent, with leaf extract of C. asiatica, which has established antidiabetic and wound-healing properties, within a chitosan polymer base offers a promising strategy against bacterial resistance, a major challenge in diabetic wound management. This study aimed to formulate and evaluate electrospun nanofiber mats of curcumin and C. asiatica leaf extract, using chitosan as the base polymer, for application in diabetic wound healing. Leaves of C. asiatica, sourced from the institute's botanical garden, were dried and subjected to solvent extraction with methanol and acetone to obtain bioactive extracts, while curcumin was procured as a gift sample from Sanjay Chemicals, Mumbai. Nanofibers were electrospun from chitosan, curcumin, and the leaf extract, and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water contact angle measurement, TGA/DSC analysis, drug release studies, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, swelling tests, and in-vitro release profiling. The resulting nanofiber mats demonstrated good content uniformity and favourable fibre diameter on SEM analysis, while DSC confirmed the absence of component interactions. Good hydrophilicity ensured adequate retention time at the wound site. The study concludes that this novel formulation can counter bacterial resistance commonly encountered in diabetic wound care while also promoting faster healing, as C. asiatica leaf extract is known to improve angiogenesis and tissue remodeling.