Effect of Chitosan Electrospun Fiber Mesh as Template on the Crystallization of Calcium Oxalate

Abstract

Biominerals fulfill various physiological functions in living organisms, however, pathological mineralization can also occur generating mineral pathologies such as the formation of calcium oxalate (CaOx) calculi in the urinary tract. Inspired by the ability of living organisms to generate biogenic minerals using biological organic matrices, and the need to understand the mechanisms of crystallization, three-dimensional fibrillary meshes based on chitosan fibers with random and controlled topology by electrospinning were manufactured. Chitosan was selected due to its active role on in vitro crystallization and its physicochemical properties, which allows the exposure of their functional chemical groups that could selectively stabilize hydrated crystalline forms of CaOx. CaOx crystals were generated on conductive tin indium oxide (ITO) glass substrates modified with electrospun chitosan fibers by using electrocrystallization (EC) technique. The chitosan fibers and the resulting CaOx crystals were analyzed by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques, which demonstrated that the chemical nature and topology of the three-dimensional fibers used as organic template are key factors in the control of type, morphology, and crystallographic orientation of CaOx.

Formation and Characterization of Irreversible Sediment of Ginseng Extract

“…The spectrum shows strong diffraction peaks at 2θ = 14.32 • , 19.98 • , 22.74 • and 32.22 • and weaker diffraction peaks at 37.18-49.68 • . It has a profile similar to that of the calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD) crystals obtained via electrocrystallization of indium oxide modified with R-chitosan fibers [33]. In addition, COD has been proved to be more regular than COM in crystal structure, showing a quadrilateral with blunt edges [27,34].…”

Controlled Calcium Oxalate Crystals Obtained by Electrocrystallization on Electrospun Polycaprolactone Fibers Loaded with Zarzaparrilla (Herreria stellata)

“…The CaOx EC, containing either R-PCL or A-PCL fibers loaded with ZP on ITO glass, was carried out using a galvanostat/potentiostat (BASi Epsilon) instrument (West Lafayette, Indiana, USA) as previously reported. ,, Briefly, pieces of ITO glass attached to the surfaces of rotating and flat plate collectors were used to directly fabricate PCL-EPM by using the ES method. They were then used as templates in the presence of ZP on the EC of CaOx.…”

“…In fact, the effect of EPM using biopolymer on mineralization of CaOx and calcium carbonate has been reported by us. , The application of EPM has been studied due to its ability to produce micro and nanofiber with high specific surface area . Anionic chemical moieties can be added to the surface of the EPM, where the surface area of the EPM provides an effective interaction with Ca 2+ ions, inducing local ion concentration or anchoring molecular sites.…”

Electrocrystallization of Calcium Oxalate on Electrospun PCL Fibers Loaded with Phytic Acid as a Template

“…The CaOx EC on the ITO substrate contained random (R-PCL) or aligned (A-PCL) PCL fibers loaded with PA, and was performed in galvanostat/potentiostat (BASi Epsilon) (West Lafayette, IN, USA) equipment, as reported elsewhere [ 13 , 27 ]. Pieces of ITO glass were placed on a rotating drum and flat-plate collectors and directly modified with R-PCL or A-PCL fibers during the ES process, and then acted as a template on the in vitro EC technique.…”

“…On the other hand, the topographic, chemical composition and three-dimensional (3D) fibrillar rearrangement properties of organic templates are important factors in the mineralization process [ 26 ]. In this regard, the effect of electrospun polymer mesh (ESM) on CaOx crystallization utilizing chitosan has been recently reported by us [ 27 ]. The formation of ESM has been studied intensively for several applications due to its ability to produce ultrafine fibers with controlled micro- or nanometric sizes and high specific surface areas [ 28 ].…”