| Sumario: |
Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) is a traditional fruit originally from Asia and now widely available in Central America. The rind of rambutan is rich in antioxidants, especially polyphenols, which have natural anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Rambutan polyphenolic extract (RPE) was encapsulated in multi-component electrospun nanofiber (ESNF) templates. These nanofibers were decorated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) via in situ electrochemical reduction. The RPE-loaded and AgNPs-decorated ESNF (AgNPs/RPE-ESNF) were evaluated for their hydrophilic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. Results indicate that the addition of RPE to synthetic polycaprolactone (PCL) ESNF improves hydrophilicity and cell attachment and proliferation in vitro. In addition, a synergistic antibacterial and cell proliferation effect between AgNPs and RPE was observed when they were combined in the multi-functionalized ESNF system. The effectiveness of AgNPs/RPE-PCL ESNF as an antioxidant and antibacterial matrix could potentially promote wound healing and also serve as a hybrid scaffold for tissue engineering.
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