Biocompatible polyhydroxyalkanoates/bacterial cellulose composites: Preparation, characterization, and in vitro evaluation

Abstract

Biocompatible composites play a critical role as scaffolds in tissue engineering. Novel biocomposites made from poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and bacterial cellulose (BC) in different concentrations were prepared by solution casting and their thermal and mechanical behavior as well as biocompatibility was characterized. BC addition increased the thermal stability of the polymer matrix as evidenced by thermogravimetric analysis. The crystallinity of PHB and the crystallization temperature decreased with the addition of BC and PHA, thus increasing the processing window. BC in small concentration determined an increase in the mechanical properties due to a concerted action of PHA and filler. Good cells attachment and proliferation were observed for all the biocomposites. By the addition of PHA (more hydrophobic than the matrix) and various amounts of BC (highly hydrophilic), surface properties and cell attachment can be controlled. Cytocompatibility studies using L929 cell line revealed that this material is suitable for biomedical applications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 2576-2584, 2016.

Plasticized poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) with improved melt processing and balanced properties

“…Spherulites were not observed in the topographic image of the commercial PHB [Figure (a)], but a fibrous structure was. A similar fibrous morphology has been reported for PHB films cast from acetic acid or chloroform solutions and for oriented PHB thin films . The fibrils consisted of lamellar stacks and had widths in the range from 60 to 100 nm.…”

“…The size of the spherulites in pure PHB crystallized under controlled conditions is larger than 350 µm, but the addition of modifiers (fillers, polymers, nucleating agents, and plasticizers) causes decreases in the spherulite size, usually down to less than 100 μm. However, small spherulites of a couple of micrometers have also been reported …”

Biotechnological wound dressings based on bacterial cellulose and degradable copolymer P(3HB/4HB)

“…A similar though less pronounced decrease in the surface hydrophobicity of P3HB/BC composites was noted by Chiulan et al [30]. Incorporating BC, which is a hydrophilic material, led to a decrease of the contact angle with 3 for the dried PHB + tetrapolymer/BC (72.3 ± 6 3.9) sample as compared with PHB-A matrix (77.4 ± 6 2.4).…”

“…One of the new lines of research is constructing composite materials and implants based on BC and PHA to repair tissue defects. Preparation of the BC/PHA composite materials and their characterization are described in a number of studies [27][28][29][30][31][32].…”

Effects of Cellulose Nanocrystals and Cellulose Nanofibers on the Structure and Properties of Polyhydroxybutyrate Nanocomposites

“…PHB is a water-insoluble biodegradable polymer with high crystallinity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, permeability, and processability [4]. PHB is potentially useful for biodegradable materials, such as mulch film, absorbable surgical sutures for drug delivery, and tissue engineering due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility [5]. Nevertheless, these potential applications of PHB have been limited due to its severe brittleness, which is caused by its low crystallization nucleation density, high brittleness, and poor toughness [6].…”