Mantas de poli(ε-caprolactona) contendo cera e extrato da própolis vermelha de Alagoas para aplicações na área da saúde

Abstract

Since ancient times, the use of biomaterials has evolved along with civilization through various technological improvements over the years. In recent times, there has been a growing interest in combining two or more substances to form a new material, due to their synergistic properties resulting in improved properties. The red propolis extract is a promising additive that can increase bioactivity when incorporated into a material. Red propolis wax, on the other hand, is discarded as waste and has no commercial value. Therefore, this study aims to produce mats from polycaprolactone (PCL) incorporated with red propolis wax or hydroalcoholic extract from Alagoas red propolis, using the electrospinning technique to ensure the formation of fibrous structures. The concentrations of wax and red propolis extract ranged from 1% to 15%. The mats were evaluated for their physical, chemical, structural, vibrational, thermal, mechanical, and biological properties. High-performance liquid chromatography was employed to determine the flavonoid content of the red propolis extract, which was found to be higher than that of the wax. The morphology of the mats was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, revealing an average diameter below 1.2 μm and an average porosity of approximately 52%. The vibrational spectrum was used to investigate the nature of the interactions, which were found to be strictly physical without the formation of new chemical bonds. X-ray diffraction was employed to investigate the crystallinity of the mats, and a decrease in crystallinity was observed as the wax/red propolis extract was added to the polymeric matrix. The wetting behavior of the mats was analyzed using the contact angle method, and it was found that samples with propolis extract presented greater swelling, with a contact angle of less than 90º, being wettable when the concentration is equal to or greater than 5%. Mechanical testing showed that the mat with 10% propolis exhibited the best values for maximum stress, elongation at break, and elastic modulus. Furthermore, these mats did not exhibit any toxic effects on cells. These results suggest that it was possible to form a fibrous biomaterial with potential for use in tissue engineering, such as bioactive dressings.