Tea tree oil infused Pluronic copolymer/Xanthan scaffolds: Biomarkers profiling and bactericidal impact in simulated wound healing environments.

The human skin, a dynamic defense shield for intricate organs, must heal promptly in the event of injury to safeguard delicate internal organs from infection and environmental stress. The infiltration of microbes into open wounds may exacerbate complications and prolong the healing process. Oral, intravenous, or topical administration of antibiotics are commonly practiced conventional methods, which generally face challenges like optimal dosage, delivery at site of infection, repeated administration, and antibiotic. Therefore, three dimensional (3D) printed scaffolds with sustained degradation kinetics emerged as a potential candidate for prolonged localized delivery of natural antibiotics. Herein, the present study poses Pluronic copolymer/Xanthan/Tea tree oil (PCP/Xn/TT) based 3D printed scaffold for controlled degradation and sustained release of TT (66 ± 2% in 7 days). The released amount of TT at regular intervals in physiological medium (in-vitro) provided optimal bactericidal effect against E. coli and S. aureus, till the 7th day of incubation. The controlled porous and crosslinked PCP/Xn network (confirmed by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy) was responsible for swelling behaviour and optimal contact angle of 49 ± 3°. The fabricated scaffold was antioxidant, thus enhancing the healing process, confirmed by enhanced release of vascular endothelial growth factor (287 ± 13 pg/mL), collagen type I (19.4 ± 0.5 ng/mL), and glutathione peroxidase I (15.6 ± 0.4 ng/mL). The interaction of TT's constituents with pre-stated biomarkers was further validated by in-silico molecular docking. Herein, the developed PCP/Xn/TT scaffolds being bactericidal and fibrogenic, unveils its prospect for advanced wound care solution.