Electrospun scaffolds with rhamnolipids to treat depleted-uranium contaminated wounds

Padilla, Brenda (2023) Electrospun scaffolds with rhamnolipids to treat depleted-uranium contaminated wounds. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

Depleted uranium (DU) is a metal by-product produced after the enrichment of natural uranium (U) to lower its radioactivity for military use. Although most radioactive isotopes have decayed, DU remains toxic and a radioactive health hazard when ingested or inhaled into the body. Currently, there are over 500 abandoned uranium mines located in the American Southwest that pose a threat to the surrounding environment and to the population’s health through the ingestion of contaminated water. Previous publications from our lab demonstrate that exposure to DU has negative effects on the natural wound healing process through a variety of cytotoxic mechanisms; however, current literature lacks a healing therapeutic to counteract this issue. Therapeutics, such as novel wound coverings, have been developed to promote the wound-healing process by treating wounds with three-dimensional biomaterials made to mimic the extracellular matrix. These biomaterials are often applied to effectively promote cellular migration and proliferation. In the current study, we propose that these novel electrospun wound healing scaffolds can be impregnated with unique chemical agents to facilitate delivery into the wound bed in an effort to neutralize or de-contaminate the tissue from DU exposure. First, an in vitro wound model was prepared using human dermal neonatal fibroblasts (hDFn) in combination with rhamnolipids, a ‘green’ biosurfactant with known environmental contaminant binding properties. Using this in vitro wound model, cells exposed to DU and treated with rhamnolipids had an increased percent closure rate over cells only exposed to DU. These preliminary findings provide proof of concept for the continued exploration of using rhamnolipids as a treatment for DU-contaminated wounds. Subsequently, this work focused on incorporating rhamnolipids into novel electrospun wound healing scaffolds cellularized with fibroblast cells to assess biocompatibility utilizing the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Cytocompatibility assays were also conducted to measure the effects on hDFn cells' metabolism and viability when inoculated with rhamnolipids in growth media. These rhamnolipids are of particular interest due to their non-toxic nature, antimicrobial properties, and affinity to bind to metals of environmental concern, like uranium. This study is among the first to explore the effects of rhamnolipids as a treatment against internal DU exposure by using electrospun scaffolds as a healing therapeutic to treat those individuals affected by chronic exposure to U-contaminated water throughout the American Southwest.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Electrospinning; Rhamnolipids; Healing scaffolds;Depleted uranium; Fibroblasts; Wounds
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
MeSH Subjects:	C Diseases > C26 Wounds and Injuries
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences > Biological Sciences
Date Deposited:	18 Jun 2025 23:35
Last Modified:	18 Jun 2025 23:35
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/6185

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