Production of Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes from Polycaprolactone Loaded with Bromelain and Investigating Its Application to Prevent Abdominal Adhesion after Surgery

The present study focuses on the development of biodegradable nanofibrous membranes with controlled drug release to ensure reduced tissue adhesion after surgery. The nanofibrous polycaprolactone membranes loaded with bromelain, a crude extract from pineapple, were fabricated utilizing the electrospinning technique for the first time. Smooth, continuous and bead-free nanofibers with good compatibility between PCL and bromelain were observed by SEM. The prepared nanofibrous membranes showed satisfactory tensile strength (16.08±1.3 and 18.29±3.29 MPa) and high Young's modulus (30.37±4.85 and 51.73±4.01 MPa). Furthermore, the contact angle decreased significantly with increasing bromelain content, which can help to overcome the limitation of PCL use in anti-adhesion products due to its stiffness and hydrophobicity. The results indicated that the membrane containing bromelain extract showed a sustained release of bromelain during two weeks, which was significantly controlled by the Fickian-diffusion mechanism. Moreover, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSCs) culture experiments showed that bromelain-loaded PCL nanofibrous membrane could significantly reduce the adhesion and proliferation of AdMSCs. Moreover, AdMSCs that adhered to the surface of nanofibers possessed a rounded morphology. Overall, the PCL/bromelain electrospun membrane can provide a potential anti-adhesion barrier for clinical use