Overview of Electrospinned Chitosan Nanofiber Composites for Wound Dressings

Chitosan has a medical application because of its natural origin and properties of biodegradability, biocompatibility, nontoxicity, and antimicrobial capacity. Electrospinning produces non-woven nanofibers to wound dressing with high specific surface area and small pores. These properties are favorable for absorption of exudates and prevent the penetration of bacteria, thus promoting wound healing. For this reason, chitosan blends are used to produce nanofiber dressings, and the characterization of the structural, mechanical, and biological properties is very promising for further studies. Nowadays, the researchers are seeking for biomaterials that provide modern dressings with many qualities, which are designed to promote wound healing. In this chapter, the electrospinning parameters that affect the nanofiber properties based on chitosan to prepare wound dressings are highlighted

Functional and antibacterial characterization of electrospun nanofiber membranes made of chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol

The development of nanomaterials with improved functional characteristics is a priority because of their applicability in medicine. Therefore, in this study, chitosan nanofiber membranes were electrospun with polyvinyl alcohol supplemented with carboxymethyl cellulose and pectin. The membrane characterization included identifying the functional groups of each polymer, the surface appearance, and the absorption capacity of aqueous media, simulating the exudates of skin diseases. Membrane weight loss was close to 50 % during the first day, and they preserved their integrity throughout the study. The mechanical characteristics demonstrated that the membranes with adjuvants are flexible and tough. The rigidity of the membranes was between 10.49 MPa and 22.65 MPa, and this rigidity decreased with the addition of chitosan and pectin. With chitosan, the elongation at break (8.25 %) was higher but the elastic modulus (450.78 MPa) was lower than those recorded with the other polymers. The effect against Staphylococcus aureus occurs due to chitosan and only by contact. In particular, an inhibition zone increased with the addition of chitosan (178.21 mm2). However, carboxymethyl cellulose showed the least shrinkage (4.4 %). Therefore, it is possible to produce nanofibers to make chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol membranes with improved functional characteristics by the addition of adjuvant agents as an alternative to other skin healing materials