Two-layer Electrospun System Enabling Wound Exudate Management and Visual Infection Response

Abstract: The spread of antimicrobial resistance calls for chronic wound management devices that can engage with the wound exudate and signal infection by prompt visual effects. Here, the manufacture of a two-layer fibrous device with independently-controlled exudate management capability and visual infection responsivity was investigated by sequential free surface electrospinning of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) (PMMA-co-MAA) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). By selecting wound pH as infection indicator, PMMA-co-MAA fibres were encapsulated with halochromic bromothymol blue (BTB) to trigger colour changes at infection-induced alkaline pH. Likewise, the exudate management capability was integrated via the synthesis of a thermally-crosslinked network in electrospun PAA layer. PMMA-co-MAA fibres revealed high BTB loading efficiency (> 80 wt.%) and demonstrated prompt colour change and selective dye release at infected-like media (pH > 7). The synthesis of the thermally-crosslinked PAA network successfully enabled high water uptake (up to nearly 2500 wt.%) and swelling index (up to nearly 300 a.%), in contrast to electrospun PAA controls. This dual device functionality was lost when the same building blocks were configured in a single-layer mesh of core-shell fibres, whereby significant BTB release (~ 70 wt.%) was measured even at acidic pH. This study therefore demonstrates how the fibrous configuration can be conveniently manipulated to trigger structure-induced functionalities critical to chronic wound management and monitoring.