Abstract

PHYTOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF TERMINALIA CATAPPA AND ITS INCLUSION IN THE PREPARATION OF PVA ELECTROSPUN FILM WITH POTENTIAL HEALING EFFECT

André Giarola Boscarato*, Emerson Luiz Botelho Lourenço, Douglas Cardoso Dragunski, Alan de Almeida Veiga, Lauro Mera de Souza and Luiz Rômulo Alberton

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to develop a film of electrospun nanofibers of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), associating with the freeze-dried crude extract of Terminalia catappa leaves, to obtain a device with potential use in skin wound healing. Phytochemical analysis of the extract showed the presence of hydrolyzable tannins, in addition to flavonoids and triterpenoids. The minimum inhibitory concentration of 1000 μg/mL was determined for the crude extract against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, 500 μg/mL for Staphylococcus spp., and 250 μg/mL for a Gram-positive bacillus isolate. The extract conferred antimicrobial effect to the electroplated PVA films in the proportions of 3%, 6%, and 10%. The incorporation of the extract into the nanofiber matrix was evident through the analysis of the Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) spectra and thermogravimetric analyzes (TGA), as well as greater thermal stability given to the films associated with the extract, indicating an interaction between the organic molecules of extract and PVA molecules, making the material more amorphous, as demonstrated by X-ray diffraction analysis. The release kinetics from the nanofibers showed that the films were able to release the incorporated extract in an aqueous medium of pH 5.8. It is concluded that the incorporation of the crude extract of T. catappa to the PVA produces nanofiber films with desirable characteristics that can potentially favor the process of tissue repair by second intention of skin wounds.

Keywords: Dressings. Nanofibers. Polymers. Terminalia catappa. Wounds.