Investigating the effect of Nanofibers made of Gum Tragacanth with Ofloxacin on burn wounds in wet conditions in rat

Gum Tragacanth (GT) obtained from Astragalus gossypinus is one of the most widely used natural gums which has found applications in many areas because of its attractive features such as biodegradability, nontoxic nature, natural availability, moisture absorption and creating a network of Hydrocolloid. It also has properties like maintenance and delivery of drugs, higher resistance to microbial attacks and long shelf-life. In this study, nanofibers were prepared by mixing of 50 wt% Bassorin (extracted from Gum Tragacanth), 50 wt% Polyethylene Oxide and 0.01 wt% Ofloxacin (Ba/PEO/Ofx) through electrospinning. Nanofibers were coated on cotton gauze. The properties of Bassorin and produced nanofibers were examined via XRD, FTIR and SEM microscopy. The Antibacterial activity of nanofibers against Staphylococcus aureus as gram-positive bacteria and Escherichia coli as gram-negative bacteria was also investigated. Nanofibers are capable of easily absorbing wound’s exocrine liquid due to their high specific area which is 4 to 5% more than that of cotton gauze without nanofibers. When nanofibers are turned to gel by moisture sorption, the release of loaded Ofloxacin would be enhanced. The Antibacterial assay showed the cotton gauze coated with Ba/PEO/Ofx nanofibers could inhibit the growth of the both bacterial strains on burn wounds about 90%.