Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes Based on Citric Acid-Functionalized Chitosan Containing rGO-TEPA with Potential Application in Wound Dressings

Abstract

The present research work is focused on the design and investigation of electrospun composite membranes based on citric acid-functionalized chitosan (CsA) containing reduced graphene oxide-tetraethylene pentamine (CsA/rGO-TEPA) as materials with opportune bio-properties for applications in wound dressings. The covalent functionalization of chitosan (CS) with citric acid (CA) was achieved through the EDC/NHS coupling system and was checked by 1H-NMR spectroscopy and FTIR spectrometry. The mixtures to be electrospun were formulated by adding three concentrations of rGO-TEPA into the 1/1 (w/w) CsA/poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) solution. The effect of rGO-TEPA concentration on the morphology, wettability, thermal stability, cytocompatibility, cytotoxicity, and anti-biofilm activity of the nanofibrous membranes was extensively investigated. FTIR and Raman results confirmed the covalent and non-covalent interactions that appeared between the system’s compounds, and the exfoliation of rGO-TEPA sheets within the CsA in the presence of PEO (CsA/P) polymer matrix, respectively. SEM analysis emphasized the nanofibrous architecture of membranes and the presence of rGO-TEPA sheets entrapped into the CsA nanofiber structure. The MTT cellular viability assay showed a good cytocompatibility with the highest level of cell development and proliferation registered for the CsA/P composite nanofibrous membrane with 0.250 wt.% rGO-TEPA. The designed nanofibrous membranes could have potential applications in wound dressings, given that they showed a good anti-biofilm activity against Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacterial strains.

Electrospun/3D-Printed Bicomponent Scaffold Co-Loaded with a Prodrug and a Drug with Antibacterial and Immunomodulatory Properties

“…The temperature was set to 25 • C, the relative humidity to 40 ± 5%, the applied voltage was in the range of 14-20 kV, and the collecting distance was fixed at 15 cm, while the nanofibers were deposited on a grounded collector with a rotation speed set to 150 rotations per minute (rpm). The electrospun membranes were chemically crosslinked in GA vapors [29], followed by a vigorous washing step with pure water, and structurally characterized by FTIR spectrometry (Supplementary Materials (Figure S1d)).…”

Electrospun-Fibrous-Architecture-Mediated Non-Viral Gene Therapy Drug Delivery in Regenerative Medicine

“…Electrospinning represents an innovative and unique but also straightforward and versatile technology that uses high electrostatic forces to generate ultrathin polymer fibrous structures with nano-or submicron dimensions that morphologically resemble the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) (the crucial extracellular component that surrounds and acts as a physical environment for cells) [32] and specific features for biomedical applications [2,66,67]. Since the architectural and morphological characteristics of electrospun structures can be greatly modulated and controlled during the electrospinning process by adapting certain parameters (e.g., the applied electric voltage, the solution flow rate, collecting the distance between the needle tip and the target, the geometry and rotation speed of the collector or the needle movement speed), solution properties (e.g., polymeric solution viscosity, polymer concentration, solution surface tension, surface charge, electrical conductivity and the dielectric constant) or environmental parameters (e.g., temperature, humidity) [30,68], this technique has attracted worldwide research interest, being used in different fields of biomedicine and biotechnology.…”

Polymer/Graphene Nanocomposite Membranes: Status and Emerging Prospects

“…In this regard, polymeric nanocomposite nanofibers have been tested [69]. Graphene-reinforced polymeric nanofibers have been used to design nanocomposite membranes [70][71][72][73].…”