Description
Multifunctional bionanohybrid nanofibers that concurrently promote cellular activities and induce anticancer and antibacterial properties are the next generation of wound healing materials. In this study, a bionanohybrid nanofiber formulation was developed that could encourage the proliferation and adhesion of endothelial and fibroblast cells, inactivate Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria, and kill melanoma cancer cells. The nanofibers were made of Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) that were chemically treated with NaOH (hPAN called hereafter) and subsequently biofunctionalized with l-carnosine (CAR). Upon immersion of CAR/hPAN nanofibers in a ZnCl2 aqueous solution, the co-existence of functional groups of hydrolysed PAN and CAR could lead to chelation of Zn2+ ions, thereby forming ultrafine zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on the nanofiber surface. The presence of ZnO nanoparticles and CAR brings about a superhydrophilicity effect and largely enhances the stiffness and tensile strength of the bionanohybrid nanofibers. According to cell viability tests, the nanofiber formulation comprising ZnO nanoparticles and CAR ligands could promote the viability of endothelial (HUVEC) and fibroblast (L929) cells. Additionally, compared to the neat PAN nanofibers (control), CAR/hPAN and ZnO-CAR/hPAN nanofibers further drove the migration of HUVECs. An antibacterial assay verified that CAR/hPAN nanofibers with and without ZnO nanoparticles can significantly inhibit S. aureus bacteria [1]. The bionanohybrid nanofiber formulation not only was effective in wound healing and in prevention of wound infection but also could show anticancer activity. The wound dressings made from anticancer nanofibrous materials can hinder recurrence of melanoma after surgical excision of skin tumors. According to an in vitro cell viability test, human skin melanoma cells were largely killed when exposed to the ZnO-CAR/hPAN nanofibers. Thanks to the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) producing ZnO nanoparticles, the ROS-induced oxidative damage of melanoma cells, as verified through a CellROX assay, is the main cell death mechanism. Taken together, ZnO-CAR/hPAN nanofibers show an oxidative stress induced antimelanoma effect and can hinder melanoma regrowth following surgical excision of skin tumors [2].References
[1] S. Homaeigohar, MA. Assad, AH. Azari, F. Ghorbani, C. Rodgers, MJ. Dalby, K. Zheng, R. Xu, M. Elbahri, AR. Boccaccini, “Biosynthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on l-Carnosine Biofunctionalized Polyacrylonitrile Nanofibers; a Biomimetic Wound Healing Material”, ACS appl. Biomater., vol. 6 (10), pp. 4290-4303, 2023.
[2] S. Homaeigohar, D. Kordbacheh, S. Banerjee, J. Gu, Y. Zhang, Z. Huang, Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle Loaded L-Carnosine Biofunctionalized Polyacrylonitrile Nanofibrous Wound Dressing for Post-Surgical Treatment of Melanoma”, Polymers, vol. 17(2), pp. 173, 2025.
| Period | 8 Jun 2026 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Theoretical and Applied Nanoscience and Nanotechnology |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Barcelona, SpainShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |