Background: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by severe skin fragility, necessitating specialized wound care that reduces tissue damage during dressing changes. This study aimed to fabricate and characterize a novel, electrospun nanofibrous wound dressing designed specifically for EB management.
Methods: The composite scaffold—comprising polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethyl cellulose, gelatin, and polycaprolactone—contained Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MOLE), as a bioactive agent, and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) to reduce cell adhesion to the dressing.
Results: The NLC-loaded scaffold with MOLE had smooth, bead-free morphology with an average fiber diameter of 190.02 nm. The addition of NLCs resulted in appropriate surface wettability (contact angle=61.3°), maintained an ideal water vapor transmission rate of 8.55 mg/cm²h, and had suitable porosity (68.43%) and water uptake capacity (269%), ensuring a significant reduction in fibroblast adhesion, indicating the dressing’s potential for atraumatic, painless removal. Furthermore, MTT and live/dead assays confirmed the scaffold’s excellent biocompatibility, with high quantitative cell viability (91.9% and 87.8% on days 2 and 3, respectively) over 72 hours. Moreover, gene expression test showed a significant increase in expression of COL7A1 gene, confirming the scaffold’s potential to promote the structural regeneration of fragile skin.
Conclusion: The fabricated electrospun dressing that contained MOLE and NLCs has a great potential as a biocompatible dressing for the effective treatment and regeneration of fragile EB skin wounds.