In this study, taurine (2-aminoethane sulfonic acid), an amino acid found in large amounts in most mammalian tissues, was incorporated with poly (ε-caprolactone) and gelatin in order to develop a drug-loaded composite wound dressing material. The composite mats from poly (ε-caprolactone)/gelatin (1:1 (w/w)) solution incorporated with 3%, 5%, and 10% (w/w) of taurine were produced by electrospinning. The electrospun mats were evaluated regarding their morphology, wettability, water uptake capacity, water vapor transmission rate, tensile strength, and cellular response with L929 cell line. The mat containing 5% of taurine was chosen as the optimum dressing for in vivo study on the full-thickness excisional wounds of Wistar rats. The results showed that after 2 weeks, the wounds treated with the taurine-loaded dressing achieved a significant closure to nearly 92% compared with the sterile gauze, as control, which showed nearly 68% of wound closure. The histological examination of the wounds revealed that the wounds treated with the taurine-loaded dressing had densely packed collagen fibers with parallel alignment. Whereas, the sterile gauze–treated wounds had loosely packed collagen fibers with an irregular arrangement. Our results provided evidence supporting the possible applicability of the taurine-loaded wound dressings for successful wound treatment.

In the current study, tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH), an antibiotic against most of the medically relevant bacteria, was incorporated into poly (ε-caprolactone)/poly lactic acid solution in order to develop a composite scaffold with both antibacterial and osteoinductive properties for the repair of infected bone defects. The composite scaffolds were produced from poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly lactic acid (PLA) solution (1:1 (w/w)) incorporated with 3, 5, and 10% (w/w) of TCH by thermally induced phase separation technique. The scaffolds were evaluated regarding their morphology, wettability, porosity, degradation, mechanical properties, and cellular response. The scaffold containing 10% of TCH (PCL/PLA/TCH10%) was chosen as the optimum scaffold for further investigation in a rat femoral defect model. The study showed that after eight weeks, the bone formation was relatively higher in PCL/PLA/TCH10%-treated group with completely filled defect when compared with control (PCL/PLA scaffold without TCH). Histopathological evaluation showed that the defect in PCL/PLA/TCH10%-treated group was fully replaced by new bone and connective tissue. Our results provide evidence supporting the possible applicability of TCH-containing scaffolds for successful bone regeneration.