Fabrication and Healing Potential of Polylactic Acid /Clay/Nd2O3 Nanocomposite Fibers in Diabetic Wound Therapy

Abstract

Chronic diabetic wounds are difficult to heal due to impaired neovascularization, dysregulated tissue repair, and prolonged inflammation. To address these challenges, PLA/nanoclay/Nd2O3 nanocomposite fiber mats were fabricated by electrospinning. Structural and morphological analyses confirmed successful incorporation and uniform dispersion of nanoclay and Nd2O3 within the PLA matrix. Nanoclay modulated the scaffold surface, while Nd2O3 enhanced mechanical strength. The intercalated nanoclay network further improved load transfer, reduced fiber diameter, and enhanced surface wettability, supporting cellular interactions. The scaffold showed more than 90% cell viability across all tested samples, demonstrating good cytocompatibility. The optimized scaffold exhibited significant antibacterial activity against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The enhanced vascular density of the scaffolds in the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay confirms their angiogenic potential. The scaffold also demonstrated controlled degradation, with 8.1 ± 0.5% weight loss after 28 days in simulated body fluid. In vivo evaluation using a diabetic rat wound model showed accelerated wound contraction, complete reepithelialization, neovascularization and minimal inflammatory response by day 21. The findings of this study suggest that PLA/Clay/Nd2O3 bioactive nanofibrous scaffolds have considerable potential for diabetic wound‐healing applications.