Fibrous Polycaprolactone-Based Composite Materials with the Addition of Hardystonite: Haemostatic Potential, Antioxidant Activity, and Biocompatibility Assessment

Fibrous polycaprolactone-based composite materials with the addition of hardystonite (1, 3, and 5 wt.%) were developed using the electrospinning method. The obtained PCL and PCL-HT nonwovens were evaluated in terms of their physiochemical properties (SEM, EDS, BET, and zeta potential). Furthermore, the antioxidant potential [measured by thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) levels], blood plasma coagulation parameters, and cyto- and genotoxicity towards PBM and Hs68 cells were assessed to determine the biochemical activity of the composites. The conducted experiments confirmed that hardystonite was successfully incorporated into the PCL matrix. No substantial changes in the fibres’ surface morphology and the structure of the composites were observed. Similarly, the specific surface area, total pore volume, and average pore size did not change significantly. The addition of hardystonite to the polymer solution resulted in a shift in zeta potential toward less negative values. With regard to plasma coagulation parameters, no significant changes were observed in the aPTT, PT, or TT, likely due to the counterbalancing effect of Zn2+ and Ca2+ ions. Furthermore, the PCL-HT composites exhibited a lowered TBARS level, suggesting antioxidant properties, which could be attributed to the presence of zinc in hardystonite. The PCL and PCL-HT composites demonstrated no cytotoxic or genotoxic effects on the tested blood or skin cell types, suggesting their safety.