Antibacterial Electrospun Polycaprolactone Membranes Coated with Polysaccharides and Silver Nanoparticles for Guided Bone and Tissue Regeneration

Abstract

Electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) membranes have been widely explored in the literature as a solution for several applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. PCL hydrophobicity and its lack of bioactivity drastically limit its use in the medical field. To overcome these drawbacks, many promising strategies have been developed and proposed in the literature. In order to increase the bioactivity of electrospun PCL membranes designed for guided bone and tissue regeneration purposes, in the present work, the membranes were functionalized with a coating of bioactive lactose-modified chitosan (CTL). Since CTL can be used for the synthesis and stabilization of silver nanoparticles, a coating of this compound was employed here to provide antibacterial properties to the membranes. Scanning electron microscopy imaging revealed that the electrospinning process adopted here allowed us to obtain membranes with homogeneous fibers and without defects. Also, PCL membranes retained their mechanical properties after several weeks of aging in simulated body fluid, representing a valid support for cell growth and tissue development. CTL adsorption on membranes was investigated by fluorescence microscopy using fluorescein-labeled CTL, resulting in a homogeneous and slow release over time. Inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry was used to analyze the release of silver, which was shown to be stably bonded to the CTL coating and to be slowly released over time. The CTL coating improved MG63 osteoblast adhesion and proliferation on membranes. On the other hand, the presence of silver nanoparticles discouraged biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus without being cytotoxic. Overall, the stability and the biological and antibacterial properties make these membranes a valid and versatile material for applications in guided tissue regeneration and in other biomedical fields like wound healing.

Chitosan‐based nanocomposites for medical applications

“…65,66 Among them, a simple and efficient process is lyophilisation, which starts with freezing a solution of chitosan with or without additives followed by evaporation of the solvent under reduced pressure. 67,68 At present, there are numerous techniques available to fabricate a chitosan-based membrane or scaffold for tissue engineering such as particle salt leaching, 69,70 electrospinning, 71,72 stereolithography, 73,74 gas foaming, 75,76 freeze-drying, 57,67,75 and 3D bioprinting. [77][78][79][80] Electrospinning is a simple, straightforward, and costeffective technique for producing nanofibers.…”

“…72 The spinning characteristics and efficiencies can be improved by incorporating nanoparticles into chitosan solutions as this can change the solution properties like conductivity and viscosity, which inherently improves the spinnability of the polymer dope. 29,71 3D bioprinting has exciting prospects since it shows many advanced features like the capability of printing tissue-analog structures, or constructing 3D scaffolds with more than two types of cells within a suitable matrix, which can bring extraordinary functional characteristics and provide faster tissue regeneration. 77,80 The main concept of producing 3D tissue constructs using bioprinting is based on additive manufacturing approaches to construct a complex structure, which mimics the parent tissue via a layer-by-layer method.…”

“…At present, there are numerous techniques available to fabricate a chitosan‐based membrane or scaffold for tissue engineering such as particle salt leaching, 69,70 electrospinning, 71,72 stereolithography, 73,74 gas foaming, 75,76 freeze‐drying, 57,67,75 and 3D bioprinting 77–80 . Electrospinning is a simple, straightforward, and cost‐effective technique for producing nanofibers.…”

“…In a typical electrospinning set‐up, high voltage is applied from a polymeric solution to draw fibers toward a grounded collector 72 . The spinning characteristics and efficiencies can be improved by incorporating nanoparticles into chitosan solutions as this can change the solution properties like conductivity and viscosity, which inherently improves the spinnability of the polymer dope 29,71 . 3D bioprinting has exciting prospects since it shows many advanced features like the capability of printing tissue‐analog structures, or constructing 3D scaffolds with more than two types of cells within a suitable matrix, which can bring extraordinary functional characteristics and provide faster tissue regeneration 77,80 .…”

From the Matrix to the Nucleus and Back: Mechanobiology in the Light of Health, Pathologies, and Regeneration of Oral Periodontal Tissues

“…As above, the incorporation of the antibacterial nanoparticles prevented biofilm formation of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Cytotoxic effects were not reported [372]. Another study by Balbinot and co-workers used a polybutylene adipate terephthalate biodegradable membrane, which was enhanced with niobium-containing bioactive glasses.…”