Bioactive Nanofiber Web Produced via Pinus densiflora Leaf Extract-Doped Electrospinning of Polyurethane

As silver nanoparticles exhibit cytotoxicity and have certain limitations in biomedical applications, natural extracts with antimicrobial activity have emerged as alternatives to silver nanoparticles. Herein, a novel nanofiber web composed of polyurethane (PU) and Pinus densiflora pine needle extract (PDE) was developed via PDE-doped electrospinning of PU. The thickness of the PDE-containing PU (PDE@PU) nanofibers (100–300 nm) decreased significantly compared with that of the PU nanofibers (600–800 nm). The presence of PDE was confirmed by the finding that ultraviolet/visible light spectrum of the PDE@PU nanofiber web was almost identical to that of PDE, indicating the absorption of chlorophyll. The amount of thermal degradation residue in the PDE@PU nanofiber web increased because of the presence of PDE. Incorporation of PDE substantially improved the hydrophilicity and wettability of the nanofiber web, as demonstrated by the significant decrease in water contact angle. The radical scavenging activity of the PDE@PU nanofiber webs increased significantly compared with that of the PU nanofiber web, indicating the antioxidant activity of PDE in the PDE@PU nanofibers. The PDE@PU nanofiber webs had an antimicrobial activity of 99.9% but no cytotoxicity. The PDE@PU nanofiber web is considered as an antimicrobial material without cytotoxicity for variety of biomedical and healthcare applications.