Generation of photosynthetic biomaterials by loading electrospun fibres with the green microalgae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

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Hypoxic environments within tissues, characterised by low concentrations of oxygen, are a major limitation in certain biomedical applications such as wound healing and tissue engineering. Electrospun fibrous mats have demonstrated potential for use in these applications as they can absorb fluids and physically protect tissues, can be loaded with active compounds (i.e., antimicrobial or therapeutics) and have been shown to support cell migration, adhesive and proliferation. Here, we report electrospun fibrous mats which have been functionalised to overcome the limitations of hypoxia. Specifically, the successful incorporation of the photosynthetic green microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii into electrospun fibrous mats based on polycaprolactone, polylactic acid, and cellulose acetate is demonstrated for the first time. The exploration of various culture conditions found that maximal C. reinhardtii growth occurred under constant light exposure over 24 h at 26 °C. Once laden with C. reinhardtii, the monitoring of material health found that the biomaterials developed were photosynthetically active over a period of 7 days, and capable of generating high concentrations of oxygen to the local environment. Overall, the findings reported here present C. reinhardtii-laden electrospun mats as strong candidates for oxygen-generating materials for potential use in biomedical applications.