Investigating How the Properties of Electrospun Poly(lactic acid) Fibres Loaded with the Essential Oil Limonene Evolve over Time under Different Storage Conditions
Essential oils have been identified as effective natural compounds to prevent bacterial infections and thus are widely proposed as bioactive agents for biomedical applications. Across the literature, various essential oils have been incorporated into electrospun fibres to produce materials with, amo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Polymers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/16/7/1005 |
| _version_ | 1797212017655808000 |
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| author | Leah Williams Fiona L. Hatton Maria Cristina Righetti Elisa Mele |
| author_facet | Leah Williams Fiona L. Hatton Maria Cristina Righetti Elisa Mele |
| author_sort | Leah Williams |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Essential oils have been identified as effective natural compounds to prevent bacterial infections and thus are widely proposed as bioactive agents for biomedical applications. Across the literature, various essential oils have been incorporated into electrospun fibres to produce materials with, among others, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. However, limited research has been conducted so far on the effect of these chemical products on the physical characteristics of the resulting composite fibres for extended periods of time. Within this work, electrospun fibres of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were loaded with the essential oil limonene, and the impact of storage conditions and duration (up to 12 weeks) on the thermal degradation, glass transition temperature and mechanical response of the fibrous mats were investigated. It was found that the concentration of the encapsulated limonene changed over time and thus the properties of the PLA–limonene fibres evolved, particularly in the first two weeks of storage (independently from storage conditions). The amount of limonene retained within the fibres, even 4 weeks after fibre generation, was effective to successfully inhibit the growth of model microorganisms <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>. The results of this work demonstrate the importance of evaluating physical properties during the ageing of electrospun fibres encapsulating essential oils, in order to predict performance modification when the composite fibres are used as constituents of medical devices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:35:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-82c729deed0444bd874978bd9d3bf906 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:35:42Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polymers |
| spelling | doaj.art-82c729deed0444bd874978bd9d3bf9062024-04-12T13:25:19ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602024-04-01167100510.3390/polym16071005Investigating How the Properties of Electrospun Poly(lactic acid) Fibres Loaded with the Essential Oil Limonene Evolve over Time under Different Storage ConditionsLeah Williams0Fiona L. Hatton1Maria Cristina Righetti2Elisa Mele3Department of Materials, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UKDepartment of Materials, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UKNational Research Council-Institute for Chemical and Physical Processes (CNR-IPCF), Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Materials, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UKEssential oils have been identified as effective natural compounds to prevent bacterial infections and thus are widely proposed as bioactive agents for biomedical applications. Across the literature, various essential oils have been incorporated into electrospun fibres to produce materials with, among others, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. However, limited research has been conducted so far on the effect of these chemical products on the physical characteristics of the resulting composite fibres for extended periods of time. Within this work, electrospun fibres of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were loaded with the essential oil limonene, and the impact of storage conditions and duration (up to 12 weeks) on the thermal degradation, glass transition temperature and mechanical response of the fibrous mats were investigated. It was found that the concentration of the encapsulated limonene changed over time and thus the properties of the PLA–limonene fibres evolved, particularly in the first two weeks of storage (independently from storage conditions). The amount of limonene retained within the fibres, even 4 weeks after fibre generation, was effective to successfully inhibit the growth of model microorganisms <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>. The results of this work demonstrate the importance of evaluating physical properties during the ageing of electrospun fibres encapsulating essential oils, in order to predict performance modification when the composite fibres are used as constituents of medical devices.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/16/7/1005electrospinningpolymer ageingessential oillimonenepoly(lactic acid) |
| spellingShingle | Leah Williams Fiona L. Hatton Maria Cristina Righetti Elisa Mele Investigating How the Properties of Electrospun Poly(lactic acid) Fibres Loaded with the Essential Oil Limonene Evolve over Time under Different Storage Conditions Polymers electrospinning polymer ageing essential oil limonene poly(lactic acid) |
| title | Investigating How the Properties of Electrospun Poly(lactic acid) Fibres Loaded with the Essential Oil Limonene Evolve over Time under Different Storage Conditions |
| title_full | Investigating How the Properties of Electrospun Poly(lactic acid) Fibres Loaded with the Essential Oil Limonene Evolve over Time under Different Storage Conditions |
| title_fullStr | Investigating How the Properties of Electrospun Poly(lactic acid) Fibres Loaded with the Essential Oil Limonene Evolve over Time under Different Storage Conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating How the Properties of Electrospun Poly(lactic acid) Fibres Loaded with the Essential Oil Limonene Evolve over Time under Different Storage Conditions |
| title_short | Investigating How the Properties of Electrospun Poly(lactic acid) Fibres Loaded with the Essential Oil Limonene Evolve over Time under Different Storage Conditions |
| title_sort | investigating how the properties of electrospun poly lactic acid fibres loaded with the essential oil limonene evolve over time under different storage conditions |
| topic | electrospinning polymer ageing essential oil limonene poly(lactic acid) |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/16/7/1005 |
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