Photocrosslinked electrospun chitosan‐based biocompatible nanofibers

Abstract

AbstractThe electrospun fibers chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol (CS/PVA) were crosslinked by the incorporation of photocrosslinking agent poly(ethyleneglycol)‐600‐dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) and photoinitiator 2‐hydroxy‐1‐[4‐(2‐hydroxyethoxy)phenyl]‐2‐methyl‐1‐propanone (HEPK) into the spinning solutions and a subsequent irradiation by UV light. The photocrosslinking process of CS‐based nanofibers was studied by the Fourier transform infrared spectra, and the water resistance was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and water swelling measurement. The results indicated that the water resistance of photocrosslinked CS‐based nanofibers was improved obviously and the swelling ratio decreased with the increasing content of PEGDMA/HEPK. When the concentration of crosslinking agent was 20 wt %, the swelling ratio value decreased to half of that in none crosslinking CS/PVA nanofiber membranes, further increasing the concentration of crosslinking agent to 50 wt %, the swelling ratio value was one eighth of the none crosslinking CS/PVA nanofiber membranes. Cytotoxicity evaluation by 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay indicated that the photocrosslinked CS‐based fiber membranes were nontoxic to L929 cells. Results from cell culture SEM imaging showed that cells which exhibited the spindle shape could grow properly on the surface of nanofibrous structure of the CS/PVA. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008