Multifunctional electrospunned nanofibers development and dynamic interaction studies with pathogen bacteria

Wound care management consumes a substantial proportion of healthcare budget of EU countries, including Slovenia. With an estimated prevalence of 1.48 patients/1,000 citizens and a population of 455 million in the European Union, this could translate to 673,000 patients costing 547 to 1,740 million euros per year. It is estimated that the treatment of all types of wounds may account for 2–4% of the total healthcare budget in each country. In addition, there is also a society cost in terms of an impact on patients by affecting their quality of life. Therefore, wound healing remains one of the most challenging clinical problems, and correct and efficient wound management is a priority of EU policy where human health, well-being and safe ageing are the key goals of 21st century. Much effort has been focused on wound care with an emphasis on new therapeutic approaches and the development of innovative technologies for acute and chronic wound management. New generation of medical textiles is an important growing field with great expansion in wound management products where ultrafine fibers and nanofibers due to their unique structural and functional properties have demonstrated the potential to revolutionize wound management. Although the number of research groups working on the development of new electrospun materials for tissue engineering and wound dressings is widely increasing, the task to effectively combine different natural antimicrobials and antioxidants into electrospun nano-mats remains challenging. The use of natural active agents is especially important because recent studies show that antibiotic-resistant bacteria represent an increasing concern in wound infections.  This project address the development of advanced multifunctional electrospunned nanofibers, manufactured from biodegradable polymers and natural extracts, that would provide structural and chemical support for wound repair with simultaneous antimicrobial and antioxidant functions and will offer great pharmaceutical potentials as bioresorbable antimicrobial material for enhanced wound care. Significantly, research would base on profound studies dealing with the interaction processes phenomena between antimicrobial/antioxidant biodegradable nanofibres and wound strains as biochemical wound environment. Basic findings will draw biomaterial characteristics vs. function relationships under biorelevant conditions. This project will potentially influenced on the development of new important textile/material science line; i.e. research of interactions between different microorganism/fungi, bacteria, viruses/ and solid complex heterogeneous systems such as functionalized fibre-forming polymers. There is still a large gap in the research field of interactions between bacterial and fungal systems and bioactive surfaces of polymeric materials (specially regarding biofilm problems) that are most frequently used in numerous advanced industrial branches. Finally, the knowledge obtained in this basic project will help to design and tune specific new fiber based nanomaterials applicable in different human care and health segments (wound treatment, skin & hygiene care, skin and gynaecological infections). In this way textile nanofibrous medical material development and textile industry segment will be strengthen.

The past succesfuly finished project L3-0361-0795 (consortium built from Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Laboratory for Characterization and Processing of Polymers and National Institute of Health, Environment and Food) demonstrated the importance of understanding the appropriate antimicrobial testing for textile materials. However, this project was dealing with isolated problems concentrating on issue of antimicrobial fibre testing and its repeability, without deep understanding of interactions between bacteria and textiles. Thus proposed project is upgrading the previous one and will also help to clarify the complexity and difficulties of antimicrobial testing of heterogeneous fibre systems. Advanced multifunctional electrospunned nanofibers, manufactured from biodegradable polymers and natural extracts, that would provide advanced structural and chemical support for wound repair with simultaneous antimicrobial and antioxidant functions, will be developed and will offer great pharmaceutical potentials as bioresorbable antimicrobial material for enhanced wound care. In this way textile nanofibrous medical material development and textile industry segment will be strengthen. Furthermore, research would base on profound studies dealing with interaction processes phenomena between antimicrobial/antioxidant biodegradable nanofibres and wound strains as biochemical wound environment. Those phenomena will be clarified based on different colloidal chemistry model theories that will be upgraded and in this way generate significant new knowledge with respect to bio/non-bio interactions. This project will thus potentially influenced on the development of new important textile/material science line; i.e. research of interactions between different microorganism/fungi, bacteria, viruses/ and solid complex heterogeneous systems such as functionalized fibre-forming polymers. There is still a large gap in the research field of interactions between bacterial and fungal systems and bioactive surfaces of polymeric materials that are most frequently used in numerous advanced industrial branches. The basic project findings will draw biomaterial characteristics vs. function relationships under biorelevant conditions. Accordingly, these scientific contributions could be published representing fundamental and original scientific contributions within both national and international research fields. The results of projects will be published at international and national scientific conferences as well as integrated into master and doctoral thesis. The project group is planning to publish at least 5 scientific papers into the journals with the highest impact factor. In addition the research cooperation between all involved groups will be strengthening and the basis network for this kind of research topic for the future bigger projects within Horizon2020  and other national and EU programs will be initiated.

The knowledge obtained in this basic project will help to design and tune specific new fiber based nanomaterials applicable in different human care and health segments as well as pharmachy (wound treatment, skin & hygiene care, skin and gynaecological infections). New functionalized materials will be result of an entirely domestic knowledge and experience and will be friendly products for environment and for costumer, respectively. The Slovenian companies such as Tosama d.o.o., Tekstina Ajdovščina d.d., Konus Konex d.o.o. express the interest for cooperation (as an outside partners) that may transfer this project knowledge into their industrial environments. Especially, Tosama that is already well known producer of wound dressing material may extend its potential products as gauzes, medical tampons, plasters etc., on the field of medicine and pharmacy, respectively. The knowlege may also be applied to other technical and domestic textiles segments such as clothes (Tekstina d.d. Ajdovščina ) and medical textiles  (Konus Konex d.o.o.). Those nanofibers can find its applications also in the mechanical and chemical industry which accounts for more than half of the total national market share. In addition, new technology based on the use of natural and biologically degradable substances; production will be performed without the use of expensive and harmful organic reagents, therefore the strictest European ecological regulations will be fulfiled.  Over the past few decades biofilm growth has been observed in many industrial and domestic domains. Unfortunately, in most cases the growth of biofilms has been detrimental. Thus the knowledge about biofilm formation as well as its sucessfill inhibition is cruical for several industries such as dairy, food, maritime, water systems, paper, opticians, dentistry as well as hospitals.  Consequently,  into a long term new jobs may be created (especiall for educated people).