Abstract
Chitosan fibers blended with polyethylene oxide (CHIT_PEO) and crosslinked with genipin were fabricated by electrospinning technique. Subsequently, CHIT_PEO bioactive glass composite electrospun mats were fabricated with the aim to achieve flexible structures with adequate mechanical properties and improved biological performance respect to CHIT_PEO fibers, for potential applications in wound healing. Three different compositions of bioactive glasses (BG) were selected and investigated: 45S5 BG, a Sr and Mg containing bioactive glass (BGMS10) and a Zn-containing bioactive glass (BGMS_2Zn). Particulate BGs (particles size < 20 μm) were separately added to the starting CHIT_PEO solution before electrospinning. The two recently developed bioactive glasses (BGMS10 and BGMS_2Zn) showed very promising biological properties in terms of bioactivity and cellular viability; thus, such compositions were added for the first time to CHIT_PEO solution to fabricate composite electrospun mats. The incorporation of bioactive glass particles and their distribution into CHIT_PEO fibers were assessed by SEM and FTIR analyses. Furthermore, CHIT_PEO composite electrospun mats showed improved mechanical properties in terms of Young’s Modulus compared to neat CHIT_PEO fibers; on the contrary, the values of tensile strain at break (%) were comparable. Biological performance in terms of cellular viability was investigated by means of WST-8 assay and CHIT_PEO composite electrospun mats showed cytocompatibility and the desired cellular viability.
Highlights
Chitosan fibers blended with polyethylene oxide (CHIT_PEO) and crosslinked with genipin were fabricated by electrospinning technique
Electrospinning is a widely used technique to produce nano- and microfibers for various applications ranging from agriculture, food packaging to the biomedical field
The spinnability and the morphology of electrospun fibers are influenced by different parameters such as parameters linked to polymer features, solution parameters
Summary
Electrospinning is a widely used technique to produce nano- and microfibers for various applications ranging from agriculture, food packaging to the biomedical field. This technique creates fiber mats with small fiber size, small pores, high porosity and large specific surface area [1]. Electrospun nanosized fibers imitate the native extracellular matrix (ECM), both its structure and features [2]. The spinnability and the morphology of electrospun fibers are influenced by different parameters such as parameters linked to polymer features (i.e., molecular weight, solubility), solution parameters
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