Abstract
Electrospun nanofiber mats have attracted intense attention as advanced wound dressing materials. The objective of this study was to fabricate methacrylated gelatin (MeGel)/poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) hybrid nanofiber mats with an extracellular matrix (ECM) mimicking nanofibrous structure and hydrogel-like properties for potential use as wound dressing materials. MeGel was first synthesized via the methacryloyl substitution of gelatin (Gel), a series of MeGel and PLLA blends with various mass ratios were electrospun into nanofiber mats, and a UV crosslinking process was subsequently utilized to stabilize the MeGel components in the nanofibers. All the as-crosslinked nanofiber mats exhibited smooth and bead-free fiber morphologies. The MeGel-containing and crosslinked nanofiber mats presented significantly improved hydrophilic properties (water contact angle = 0°; 100% wettability) compared to the pure PLLA nanofiber mats (~127°). The swelling ratio of crosslinked nanofiber mats notably increased with the increase of MeGel (143.6 ± 7.4% for PLLA mats vs. 875.0 ± 17.1% for crosslinked 1:1 MeGel/PLLA mats vs. 1135.2 ± 16.0% for crosslinked MeGel mats). The UV crosslinking process was demonstrated to significantly improve the structural stability and mechanical properties of MeGel/PLLA nanofiber mats. The Young’s modulus and ultimate strength of the crosslinked nanofiber mats were demonstrated to obviously decrease when more MeGel was introduced in both dry and wet conditions. The biological tests showed that all the crosslinked nanofiber mats presented great biocompatibility, but the crosslinked nanofiber mats with more MeGel were able to notably promote the attachment, growth, and proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts. Overall, this study demonstrates that our MeGel/PLLA blend nanofiber mats are attractive candidates for wound dressing material research and application.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilWound dressing materials, such as gauzes, bandages, adhesive films, and hydrogel covers, are widely-employed medical devices to treat various types of open wounds and accelerate their healing [1]
The methacrylated gelatin (MeGel) used in this study was synthesized via the methacryloyl substitution of Gel, and the substitution degree was calculated with 1 H NMR analysis (Figure 1a)
The results showed that the degree of methacryloyl substitution was ~44%
Summary
Wound dressing materials, such as gauzes, bandages, adhesive films, and hydrogel covers, are widely-employed medical devices to treat various types of open wounds and accelerate their healing [1]. Wound dressing materials should have some significant features and functions, including covering the wound without further contamination, inhibiting the invasion of exogenous microorganisms, and maintaining the appropriate moisture of the environment without the accumulation of fluid [2]. Some previous studies demonstrated that the effective replication of the structure and biophysical properties of the native extracellular matrix (ECM) is a key factor for accelerated wound healing [3,4].
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