Fabrication and Characterization of Electrospun Chitosan/Polylactic Acid (CH/PLA) Nanofiber Scaffolds for Biomedical Application

Abstract

The present study demonstrates a strategy for preparing porous composite fibrous materials with superior biocompatibility and antibacterial performance. The findings reveal that the incorporation of PEG into the spinning solutions significantly influences the fiber diameters, morphology, and porous area fraction. The addition of a hydrophilic homopolymer, PEG, into the Ch/PLA spinning solution enhances the hydrophilicity of the resulting materials. The hybrid fibrous materials, comprising Ch modified with PLA and PEG as a co-solvent, along with post-treatment to improve water stability, exhibit a slower rate of degradation (stable, moderate weight loss over 16 weeks) and reduced hydrophobicity (lower contact angle, reaching 21.95 ± 2.17°), rendering them promising for biomedical applications. The antibacterial activity of the membranes is evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, with PEG-containing samples showing a twofold increase in bacterial reduction rate. In vitro cell culture studies demonstrated that PEG-containing materials promote uniform cell attachment, comparable to PEG-free nanofibers. The comprehensive evaluation of these novel materials, which exhibit improved physical, chemical, and biological properties, highlights their potential for biomedical applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Antibacterial Potential and Biocompatibility of Chitosan/Polycaprolactone Nanofibrous Membranes Incorporated with Silver Nanoparticles

“…To prevent the chitosan nanofiber membranes from dissolving in the aqueous medium, they were neutralized in a Na-based solution [ 14 ]. Briefly, the treatment was performed by neutralizing each mat in 1 M NaOH (aqueous or 70% ethanol/30% water solution) in a 24-well plastic plate for 12 h. After the immersion, the membranes were washed repeatedly with distilled water and dried at ambient conditions for 1 day at room temperature.…”

“…After incubation for 2, 4, 6, and 8 h, aliquots of 200 μL from each well were transferred to a 96-well microtitre plate. The degree of opacity was assessed by measuring the medium’s transmittance using a microplate reader (Multiskan FC, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) at wavelengths of 595 nm [ 14 ]. The turbidity observed in microbial growth without the presence of the membrane served as the positive control, while the negative control wells contained a sterile nutrient broth devoid of microbes.…”

“…In our previous work, we synthesized a range of electrospun membranes composed of polylactic acid (PLA), PCL, and CH, exhibiting high biocompatibility levels, desirable biodegradation profiles, and anti-inflammatory properties [ 14 , 15 ]. However, the CH-based membranes lacked sufficient antibacterial efficacy, necessitating the inclusion of additional components to satisfy antimicrobial standards [ 14 ].…”

“…In our previous work, we synthesized a range of electrospun membranes composed of polylactic acid (PLA), PCL, and CH, exhibiting high biocompatibility levels, desirable biodegradation profiles, and anti-inflammatory properties [ 14 , 15 ]. However, the CH-based membranes lacked sufficient antibacterial efficacy, necessitating the inclusion of additional components to satisfy antimicrobial standards [ 14 ]. A further limitation associated with CH membranes was their accelerated degradation rate in aqueous environments, which prompted the need for enhanced support structures or effective crosslinking strategies [ 16 ].…”

Highly Cytocompatible Polylactic Acid Based Electrospun Microfibers Loaded with Silver Nanoparticles Generated onto Chestnut Shell Lignin for Targeted Antibacterial Activity and Antioxidant Action

“…For this reason, poly­( d , l -lactide) (PDLLA) is generally preferred to PLLA because of its lower crystalline degree resulting in a faster degradation rate but still strong hydrophobicity, which hampers cell adhesion and spreading. To overcome these disadvantages and expand the application fields, a variety of additives including synthetic or natural polymers, particles, and composites are used in the preparation of the e-spun fibers. − Among natural and hydrophilic carbon-based polymers (e.g., cellulose, hemicellulose, starch, protein, gelatin, elastin, and poly­(ethylene glycol)), cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and chitosan (CHT) are gaining increasing interest as nanofillers improving the mechanical properties of the final materials and the hydrophilic nature and conferring good antibacterial properties and cell viability. − More recently, lignin has been also considered with interest because of the potent antioxidant properties that have prompted its applications in a variety of fields such as food packaging, wound healing, drug delivery, and tissue regeneration. , In addition, from a green chemistry and circular economy perspective, lignin is easily available from byproducts and wastes of the agri-food industry, from which it can be recovered by environmentally friendly procedures. As an example, we recently reported a combined mechanochemical/deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based protocol for the recovery of lignin endowed with potent antioxidant properties from the shells of edible nuts .…”