title: Emulsion electrospinning as an approach to fabricate PLGA/chitosan nanofibers for biomedical applications.
abstract: Novel nanofibers from blends of polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) and chitosan have been produced through an emulsion electrospinning process. The spinning solution employed polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the emulsifier. PVA was extracted from the electrospun nanofibers, resulting in a final scaffold consisting of a blend of PLGA and chitosan. The fraction of chitosan in the final electrospun mat was adjusted from 0 to 33%. Analyses by scanning and transmission electron microscopy show uniform nanofibers with homogenous distribution of PLGA and chitosan in their cross section. Infrared spectroscopy verifies that electrospun mats contain both PLGA and chitosan. Moreover, contact angle measurements show that the electrospun PLGA/chitosan mats are more hydrophilic than electrospun mats of pure PLGA. Tensile strengths of 4.94 MPa and 4.21 MPa for PLGA/chitosan in dry and wet conditions, respectively, illustrate that the polyblend mats of PLGA/chitosan are strong enough for many biomedical applications. Cell culture studies suggest that PLGA/chitosan nanofibers promote fibroblast attachment and proliferation compared to PLGA membranes. It can be assumed that the nanofibrous composite scaffold of PLGA/chitosan could be potentially used for skin tissue reconstruction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Textile Engineering, Center of Excellence in Applied Nanotechnology, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran ; Department of Materials Chemistry, Uppsala University, 75121 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7390-7605
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ajalloueian
authors.affiliation: Department of Textile Engineering, Center of Excellence in Applied Nanotechnology, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tavanai
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Chemistry, Uppsala University, 75121 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jöns
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hilborn
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering Sciences, Applied Materials Science, Uppsala University, 75121 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Donzel-Gargand
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering Sciences, Applied Materials Science, Uppsala University, 75121 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leifer
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Division of Molecular Physics, Linkoping University, 58183 Linkoping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Abeni
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2106-0665
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wickham
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran 14965-161, Iran.
authors.forename: Ayyoob
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arpanaei
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020811:Biomedical Technology / Q000379:methods*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D048430:Cell Shape; D002470:Cell Survival; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D004655:Emulsions / Q000737:chemistry*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D051379:Mice; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol / Q000737:chemistry; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D004655:Emulsions; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; D048271:Chitosan