No abstract

Electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanowebs treated with honey were prepared to exploit the high surface area of nanofibers and the many different beneficial properties of honey. Nanowebs fabricated from biocompatible polymers like PVA, and treated with natural substances like honey, may find use in various biomedical applications such as wound bandages. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to confirm the incorporation of honey into electrospun PVA nanowebs. Treated nanowebs were characterized by evaluating their antimicrobial properties, breathability characteristics, and tensile properties. PVA nanowebs treated with honey demonstrated adequate breathability characteristics for potential use in wound dressings. In this study, no antibacterial activity was observed after treatment with honey.

BACKGROUND: Latest tissue engineering strategies for musculoskeletal tissues regeneration focus on creating a biomimetic microenvironment closely resembling the natural topology of extracellular matrix. This paper presents a novel musculoskeletal tissue scaffold fabricated by hybrid additive manufacturing method. METHODS: The skeleton of the scaffold was 3D printed by fused deposition modeling, and a layer of random or aligned polycaprolactone nanofibers were embedded between two frames. A parametric study was performed to investigate the effects of process parameters on nanofiber morphology. A compression test was performed to study the mechanical properties of the scaffold. Human fibroblast cells were cultured in the scaffold for 7 days to evaluate the effect of scaffold microstructure on cell growth. RESULTS: The tip-to-collector distance showed a positive correlation with the fiber alignment, and the electrospinning time showed a negative correlation with the fiber density. With reinforced nanofibers, the hybrid scaffold demonstrated superior compression strength compared to conventional 3D-printed scaffold. The hybrid scaffold with aligned nanofibers led to higher cell attachment and proliferation rates, and a directional cell organization. In addition, there was a nonlinear relationship between the fiber diameter/density and the cell actinfilament density. CONCLUSION: This hybrid biofabrication process can be established as a highly efficient and scalable platform to fabricate biomimetic scaffolds with patterned fibrous microstructure, and will facilitate future development of clinical solutions for musculoskeletal tissue regeneration.

Electrospun poly (vinyl alcohol) [PVA] nanowebs functionalized with a commercially available microbiocidal solution Reputex™ 20 were prepared. The active ingredient of Reputex™ 20 is polyhexamethylene biguanides, a safe antiseptic. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy confirmed the functionalization of PVA nanowebs. Functionalized nanowebs were characterized by evaluating their antimicrobial properties, breathability characteristics and tensile properties. Functionalized nanowebs demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Nanowebs developed from biocompatible polymers like PVA, and functionalized with safe antiseptics, could find many biomedical applications such as wound bandages.

Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanowebs treated with a mixture of honey and polyhexamethylene biguanides (PHMBs, commercially available as Reputex 20) were prepared and characterized to evaluate their applicability in wound dressing applications. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to confirm the incorporation of functional moieties from honey and Reputex 20 into electrospun PVA nanowebs. Functionalized PVA nanowebs were characterized by evaluating their antimicrobial properties, moisture vapor transport characteristics (breathability), and tensile properties. PVA nanowebs treated with a mixture of honey and PHMBs have shown good antimicrobial activity. Additionally, functionalized PVA nanowebs have shown adequate breathability characteristics, a much needed attribute in textile materials used in wound dressing applications. Nanowebs fabricated from biocompatible polymers such as PVA, and functionalized in a combinational fashion, could be used in many different biomedical applications, including wound healing bandages and cell or tissue culture scaffolds.