Abstract
In this work, two forms of keratins, kerateine (KR) and keratose (KO), were fabricated respectively into electrospun nanofibers by combination with polyurethane (PU). The differences of the structure and material properties between KR and KO based fibers were investigated by SEM observation, ATR-FTIR, XRD, contact angle, tensile test, in vitro degradation and cytocompatibility assay. The results indicated that the KR based nanofibers exhibited a higher tensile modulus, lower fracture strain and slower degradation rate, mainly due to the reformation of disulfide crosslinking between the regenerated cysteines in KR after the reductive extraction. The KO based nanofibers demonstrated a stronger hydrophilic property and higher water uptake ability due to the cysteic acid residues resulting from the oxidative extraction. Furthermore, the combination of keratins, regardless of KR or KO, could obviously improve the cytocompatibility of PU, especially in the cell attachment stage.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.