Polycaprolactone nanofibers were prepared using five different solvents (glacial acetic acid, 90% acetic acid, methylene chloride/DMF 4/1, glacial formic acid, and formic acid/acetone 4/1) by electrospinning process. The effect of solution concentrations (5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) and applied voltages during spinning (10 KV to 20 KV) on the nanofibers formation, morphology, and structure were investigated. SEM micrographs showed successful production of PCL nanofibers with different solvents. With increasing the polymer concentration, the average diameter of nanofibers increases. In glacial acetic acid solvent, above 15% concentration bimodal web without beads was obtained. In MC/DMF beads was observed only at 5% solution concentration. However, in glacial formic acid a uniform web without beads were obtained above 10% and the nanofibers were brittle. In formic acid/acetone solution the PCL web formed showed lots of beads along with fine fibers. Increasing applied voltage resulted in fibers with larger diameter.
Natural-synthetic blend nanofibres have recently attracted more interest because of the ability of achieving desirable properties. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-chitosan (Cs)-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blend nanofibrous scaffolds were electrospun in 2:1:1.33 mass ratio of PCL:Cs:PVA. The presence of PCL in the blend leads to improvement in web hydrophobicity and helped the web to retain its integrity in aqueous media. The scaffolds were used in two forms of acellular and with mesenchymal stem cells. They were applied on burn (n = 12) and excisional cutting (n = 12) wounds on dorsum skin of rats. Macroscopic investigations were carried out to measure the wounds areas. It was found that the area of wounds that were treated with cell-seeded nanofibrous scaffolds were smaller compared to other samples. Pathological results showed much better healing performance for cell-seeded scaffolds followed by acellular scaffolds compared with control samples. All these results indicate that PCL:Cs:PVA nanofibrous web would be a proper material for burn and cutting wound healing.
Chitosan-poly (vinyl alcohol) (Cs: PVA) (2:3) and poly (caprolactone)-chitosan-poly (vinyl alcohol) (PCL: Cs: PVA) (2:1:1.5) nanofibrous blend scaffolds were fabricated using the electrospinning technique in the authors' previous studies. The results of the previous studies confirmed the high biological properties of the scaffolds and their ability in healing of burn and excision wounds on rat model. In the present study, the biological scaffolds were applied on diabetic dorsum skin wounds and diabetic foot wound on rat models (n = 16). Macroscopic and microscopic investigations were carried out using digital images and haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining respectively, to measure the wound areas and to track wound healing rate. It was found that at all time points the areas of wounds treated with nanofibrous scaffolds were smaller compared with the controls. Pathological results showed much better healing efficacy for the test samples compared with the control ones. Pathological investigations proved the presence of more pronounced granulation tissues in the scaffold-treated wounds compared with the control ones. At 20 days post excision, the scaffold-treated groups achieved complete repair. The results indicated that Cs: PVA and PCL: Cs: PVA nanofibrous webs could be considered to be promising materials for burn, excision and diabetic wounds healing.
Chitosan-poly(vinyl alcohol) (Cs:PVA) nanofibrous scaffolds were electrospun from 2:3 (wt/wt) Cs:PVA solution dissolved in 80% acetic acid. In vivo study was carried out on the dorsum skin of rat which burnt with a hot brass cylinder. The scaffolds were applied in two forms, that is, acellular (n=6) and cell-seeded with mesenchymal stem cells (n=6). Macroscopic measurements of wound area showed good aspect healing effect of scaffolds in comparison with control wounds specially in 15 days post operating. Pathological studies were done on the wounds to investigate the healing effects. The healing process of the wound covered with Cs/PVA nanofibrous scaffolds was much rapid compared to untreated wounds. However, the presence of stem cells on this scaffolds accelerated the wound healing process owing to their ability of collagen regeneration.
Recently, herbal extract-loaded nanofibers have been developed using different types of components for tissue engineering applications. In this study, nanofibrous webs are fabricated from polycaprolactone (PCL)-polyethylene glycol (PEG) 1:1 mass ratio blend incorporated with different amounts of aloe vera extract through electrospinning. Combining the potential therapeutic
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.