Abstract
The use of raw materials obtained by waste and processed through innovative industrial methodologies has generated an industry of about a trillion dollars in a short time, and in the near future will provide resources and services for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in order to ensure a better and fairer welfare for the human race. The production of nano-fiber chitin non-woven tissue is in accordance with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and European Union (EU) bio-economic programs: 100% biodegradable, ecological, and therefore useful in decreasing dependence on fossil fuel resources. The aim of our study is the evaluation of different formulations of a non-woven tissue obtained from electrospinning of a mixture of nanochitin fibrils, lignin, and poly (ethylene) oxide (PEO) on the restoration of damaged tissues. Wound repair is a complex process that involves epithelial and immune cells and includes the induction of metalloproteinases, inflammatory mediators, and angiogenic factors. Our in vitro results have shown that all of the realized chitin nanofibrils-bio-lignin non-woven tissues tested as nontoxic for human keratinocytes (HaCat) cells. Furthermore, the bio-composites that included bio-lignin at 0.1% have been able to modulate the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (Tumor Necrosis Factor-α, IL-1α, and IL8), lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and human beta-defensin 2 (HBD-2) expression in HaCat cells, suggesting an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory role. Taken together, our results suggest that our chitin nanofibrils-bio-lignin non-woven tissue represents a skin-friendly tool that is able to favor a correct and fast wound repair.
Highlights
The development of bio-nanotechnology has allowed the use of marine bioproducts such as sponges, shellfish, algae, and food waste as raw materials to be transformed into value-added goods, with a low consumption of energy and water [1,2,3], producing different new green nanocomposites employed in the fields of electrochemistry, electronics, and medicine [4,5,6]
SEM observation of the chitin nanofibers-bio-lignin co-polymer showed that bio-lignin was intimately incorporated into chitin nanofibrils (CN)-nanocrystals in the form of micro/nano balls (Figure 1)
Nanofibers randomly assembled within the bio-nano-composite non-woven tissue gave it a morphology very similar to the human extracellular matrix (ECM) (Figure 2)
Summary
The development of bio-nanotechnology has allowed the use of marine bioproducts such as sponges, shellfish, algae, and food waste as raw materials to be transformed into value-added goods, with a low consumption of energy and water [1,2,3], producing different new green nanocomposites employed in the fields of electrochemistry, electronics, and medicine [4,5,6]. Chitin is a highly available natural polymer which is safe and non-toxic, and is used as nanocrystals or nanofibers [9,10]. It can be used as a versatile template for biomimetic polymers [2]. Lignin is a substance with a complex chemical structure that is easy-to-find as raw material, but is very difficult to find a purification method that allows the compound to be obtained without impurities. Lignin can be used in the manufacture of biomaterials, phenolic resins, biodegradable polymer compositions, active biosorbants, surfactants and dispersant agents, and in electrochemistry. Attention must be paid to the two types of functional carboxylic and phenolic groups present on the lignin surface [11,12,13]
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