Antibacterial and biological properties of coconut oil loaded poly(ε-caprolactone)/gelatin electrospun membranes

Coconut oil (CO) is a naturally derived bio-oil which exhibits specific characteristics such as biocompatibility and antibacterial activity. In this work, the biological properties of poly(caprolactone)/gelatin (PCL/Gel) nanofibers are improved using CO encapsulation. This bio-oil was added to the PCL/Gel polymer solution with different concentrations (5�40). Nanofibers were crosslinked using glutaraldehyde vapor. Different types of characterization techniques such as SEM, FTIR, DSC, tensile measurements, water contact angle, and water vapor permeability were used to study the chemical, physical, thermal, and morphological properties of resultant nanofibers. Results showed an average diameter of 300�370 nm for as-spun nanofibers, which increased to 360�470 nm after the crosslinking reaction. The presence of CO was confirmed using FTIR and DSC experiments. Moreover, results indicated that the presence of CO increases the hydrophilicity and water vapor permeability of nanofibers, which are desirable for their final application. Biological tests, such as antibacterial activity, cell viability, and cell morphology tests were performed to evaluate the possible application of the produced nanofibers for wound healing applications. Results indicated that the crosslinked PCL/Gel nanofibers containing 20 CO exhibited the highest cell compatibility and antibacterial activity against gram-positive (S. aureus) and gram-negative (E. coli) bacteria. © The Author(s) 2021

Cinnamon extract loaded electrospun chitosan/gelatin membrane with antibacterial activity

This study develops chitosan/gelatin nanofiber membranes with sustained release capacity to prevent infection by delivering cinnamon extract (CE) in the implanted site. The effects of the incorporation of CE content (2�6) on the properties of the nanofibers were evaluated. Morphological studies using SEM indicated that loading the extract did not affect the average diameter of nanofiber mats, which remained around 140�170 nm. TGA and FTIR spectroscopy results confirmed successful CE loading. Furthermore, the results showed that incorporating extract into the nanofibers enhanced their degradation behavior, antibacterial activity, and biocompatibility. Cultured cells attached to and proliferate on the nanofiber membrane with high cell viability capacity until the CE content reached 4. The extract release profile consisted of a burst release in the first 6 h, followed by a controlled release in the next 138 h. Therefore, CE loaded chitosan/gelatin nanofiber is an excellent construct for biomedical applications. © 2021 Elsevier B.V

In vitro and in vivo studies of biaxially electrospun poly(caprolactone)/gelatin nanofibers, reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals, for wound healing applications

Abstract: Nanofiber scaffolds have been used widely for wound healing applications. These scaffolds are commonly produced from different biopolymers, but usually a combination of synthetic and natural biopolymers is preferred because they exhibit both physio-mechanical stability and an improved environment for cell growth. In this article, polycaprolactone�gelatin (PCL�gel) hybrid nanofibers were produced by two nozzle electrospinning. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were synthesized and incorporated into the gel and PCL nanofibers to improve their properties. SEM images of nanofibers showed two diameter distributions with diameter averages of 140 nm and 215 nm, corresponding to gel and PCL, respectively. Although XRD patterns showed a decrease in crystallinity, the crystal sizes increased from 16.1 and 11.1 to 19.4 and 12.4 nm respectively for the (110) and (200) crystalline planes when CNC was present in the nanofibers. Mechanical studies revealed an 80 and 60 increase in modulus and tensile strength, respectively, when CNC was incorporated. In vitro studies showed that the CNC-incorporated scaffold degraded 25 more rapidly. However, the MTT assay, cell morphology, and fluorescence staining experiments showed that CNC did not affect nanofiber biocompatibility, and cells could grow, differentiate and cover the scaffold surface. Scaffolds with and without CNC both promoted robust wound healing in Balb/c mice. Graphic abstract: Figure not available: see fulltext.. © 2020, Springer Nature B.V

Cinnamon extract loaded electrospun chitosan/gelatin membrane with antibacterial activity

This study develops chitosan/gelatin nanofiber membranes with sustained release capacity to prevent infection by delivering cinnamon extract (CE) in the implanted site. The effects of the incorporation of CE content (2�6) on the properties of the nanofibers were evaluated. Morphological studies using SEM indicated that loading the extract did not affect the average diameter of nanofiber mats, which remained around 140�170 nm. TGA and FTIR spectroscopy results confirmed successful CE loading. Furthermore, the results showed that incorporating extract into the nanofibers enhanced their degradation behavior, antibacterial activity, and biocompatibility. Cultured cells attached to and proliferate on the nanofiber membrane with high cell viability capacity until the CE content reached 4. The extract release profile consisted of a burst release in the first 6 h, followed by a controlled release in the next 138 h. Therefore, CE loaded chitosan/gelatin nanofiber is an excellent construct for biomedical applications. © 2021 Elsevier B.V

Fabricating alginate/poly(caprolactone) nanofibers with enhanced bio-mechanical properties via cellulose nanocrystal incorporation

In this research, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) was synthesized from cotton waste using controlled hydrolysis against 64 (w/w) sulfuric acid solution. The produced nanoparticles were then characterized using FTIR, XRD, TGA, and DLS analyses. Biaxial electrospinning technique was used to produce CNC incorporated PCL-PVA/NaAlg nanofibers. The sodium alginate portion was then crosslinked via submerging the samples in calcium chloride aqueous solution. The CNC incorporated and crosslinked sample was characterized using SEM, FTIR, and TGA techniques. Results confirmed the presence of CNC nanoparticles and alginate crosslinking reaction. Mechanical studies showed that CNC incorporation increases the tensile modulus by 65 . Also, the crosslinked samples exhibited an increase in elongation at break. Water contact angle studies suggested that CNC incorporation and crosslinking improves nanofiber hydrophilicity. Cell viability of more than 90 was observed in CNC incorporated PCL-CaAlg nanofibers. Also, SEM images of cells on nanofiber scaffolds showed better cell growth and attachment in PCL-CaAlg-CNC samples. © 2020 Elsevier Lt

Co�electrospinning of lignocellulosic nanoparticles synthesized from walnut shells with poly(caprolactone) and gelatin for tissue engineering applications

Lignocellulose is the main component of plants that has gained considerable attention in biomedical applications due to exceptional biological properties, such as antioxidant activity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. In this work, nanoparticles were produced from walnut shells (WS) via physical milling followed by a chemical treatment. FTIR, DLS, SEM, XRD, and TGA results confirmed their lignocellulosic chemical composition and dimensions of 560 nm with a 28 crystalline phase. WS nanoparticles were then co-electrospun with polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin. Morphological investigations showed that WS nanoparticles increase the average diameter of PCL and Gel nanofibers from 250 and 300 nm to around 600 and 550 nm, respectively. Interestingly, the moduli of coaxially electrospun PCL-Gel membranes increased from 11.9 to 16.6 MPa, while their thermal stability decreased from 345 to 285 °C. PCL-Gel nanofibers loaded with 2 WS particles were considered as the optimal sample because of their excellent mechanical properties. The scaffolds made from these fibers showed excellent viability, growth, and proliferation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs). Graphic abstract: Figure not available: see fulltext. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V

Cellulose nanocrystal effect on crystallization kinetics and biological properties of electrospun polycaprolactone

Mechanical properties of tissue engineering nanofibrous scaffolds are of importance because they not only determine their ease of application, but also influence the environment for cell growth and proliferation. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are natural renewable nanoparticles that have been widely used for manipulating nanofibers' mechanical properties. In this article, cellulose nanoparticles were incorporated into poly(caprolactone) (PCL) solution, and composite nanofibers were produced. Ozawa-Flynn-Wall (OFW) methodology and X-ray diffraction were used to investigate the effect of CNC incorporation on PCL crystalline structure and its biological properties. Results showed that CNC incorporation up to 1 increases the crystallization activation energy and reduces the crystal volume, while these factors remain constant above this critical concentration. MTT assay and microscopic images of seeded cells on the nanofiber scaffolds indicated increased cell growth on the samples containing CNC. This behavior could be attributed to their greater hydrophilicity, which was confirmed using parallel exponential kinetics (PEK) model fitting to results obtained from dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) studies. Superior performance of CNC containing samples was also confirmed by in vivo implantation on full-thickness wounds. The wound area faded away more rapidly in these samples. H&E and Masson's trichrome staining showed better regeneration and more developed tissues in wounds treated with PCL-CNC1 nanofibers. © 202

Synthesis and characterization of exopolysaccharide encapsulated PCL/gelatin skin substitute for full-thickness wound regeneration.

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