Curdlan in fibers as carriers of tetracycline hydrochloride: Controlled release and antibacterial activity

• Curdlan cannot be electrospun alone and it is combined with PEO.
• The incorporation of TCH in crosslinked nanofibers of PEO/CURD resulted in a slight increase in the diameter of nanofibers.
• Release of TCH from electrospun webs indicated that electrospun crosslinked nanofibers gave relatively smooth release of TCH over about 24 h as well as an effective and sustainable inhibition of E. coli growth.

Curdlan (CURD) and polyethylene oxide were used to synthesize nanofibers as carriers of hydro soluble tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH). The viscosity, surface tension and conductivity of the precursor multicomponent aqueous solutions were determined and adjusted to produce defect-free fiber webs. Except for a slight increase in diameter, the addition of TCH did not affect the original morphology of the CURD/PEO nanofibers, as determined by FE-SEM imaging. However, the thermal stability of the system was enhanced (TGA and DSC). Moreover, water resistance, as measured with 24-h immersion tests, was observed upon crosslinking with glutaraldehyde. In-vitro activity measurements indicated a sustained and controlled TCH time-release pattern and excellent antibacterial activity against E. coli, as assessed by UV–vis spectroscopy and viable cell counting, respectively. Overall, we propose nanofibers based on CURD as promising platforms for scaffolds for wound dressing and drug delivery.