Oxygen Plasma Treated-Electrospun Polyhydroxyalkanoate Scaffolds for Hydrophilicity Improvement and Cell Adhesion

Abstract

Poly(hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs) with differing material properties, namely, the homopolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), P(3HB), the copolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), P(3HB-co-3HV), with a 3HV content of 25 wt.% and a medium chain length PHA, and mcl-PHA, mainly composed of 3-hydroxydecanoate, were studied as scaffolding material for cell culture. P(3HB) and P(3HB-co-3HV) were individually spun into fibers, as well as blends of the mcl-PHA with each of the scl-PHAs. An overall biopolymer concentration of 4 wt.% was used to prepare the electrospinning solutions, using chloroform as the solvent. A stable electrospinning process and good quality fibers were obtained for a solution flow rate of 0.5 mL h−1, a needle tip collector distance of 20 cm and a voltage of 12 kV for P(3HB) and P(3HB-co-3HV) solutions, while for the mcl-PHA the distance was increased to 25 cm and the voltage to 15 kV. The scaffolds’ hydrophilicity was significantly increased under exposure to oxygen plasma as a surface treatment. Complete wetting was obtained for the oxygen plasma treated scaffolds and the water uptake degree increased in all treated scaffolds. The biopolymers crystallinity was not affected by the electrospinning process, while their treatment with oxygen plasma decreased their crystalline fraction. Human dermal fibroblasts were able to adhere and proliferate within the electrospun PHA-based scaffolds. The P(3HB-co-3HV): mcl-PHA oxygen plasma treated scaffold highlighted the most promising results with a cell adhesion rate of 40 ± 8%, compared to 14 ± 4% for the commercial oxygen plasma treated polystyrene scaffold AlvetexTM. Scaffolds based on P(3HB-co-3HV): mcl-PHA blends produced by electrospinning and submitted to oxygen plasma exposure are therefore promising biomaterials for the development of scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Plasma Mediated Chlorhexidine Immobilization onto Polylactic Acid Surface via Carbodiimide Chemistry: Antibacterial and Cytocompatibility Assessment

“…Samples PLA_DC and PLA_DC_EDAC exhibited the highest cytocompatibility. This result was expected as the plasma treatment increased the hydrophilic character of PLA and the wettability of the surface affects cell behavior, especially the cell attachment [37][38][39][40][41]. However, without further immobilization of chlorhexidine, these samples did not exhibit any antibacterial effect.…”

Polyhydroxyalkanoates Composites and Blends: Improved Properties and New Applications

“…These reports have further broadened current and perspective applications of PHAbased materials (Table 1). SEM studies demonstrated significant variability on the nanolevel 3D structures of the ES mixtures P(3HB): mcl-PHA [62] and foams PLLA/PHA [63]. SEM studies demonstrated significant variability on the nanolevel 3D structures of the ES mixtures P(3HB): mcl-PHA [62] and foams PLLA/PHA [63].…”

“…These reports have further broadened current and perspective applications of PHAbased materials (Table 1). SEM studies demonstrated significant variability on the nanolevel 3D structures of the ES mixtures P(3HB): mcl-PHA [62] and foams PLLA/PHA [63]. Studies have proven that combining different types of PHAs (see Figure 4) in right proportions with other material significantly enhances wide variety of their properties [60].…”

“…SEM studies demonstrated significant variability on the nanolevel 3D structures of the ES mixtures P(3HB): mcl-PHA [62] and foams PLLA/PHA [63]. SEM studies demonstrated significant variability on the nanolevel 3D structures of the ES mixtures P(3HB): mcl-PHA [62] and foams PLLA/PHA [63]. Experiments have been carried out to observe the bio-nanocomposites based on PHAs and have proven to have positive effects on properties such as the size of the surface area of its active sites.…”

Sustainable Antibacterial and Antiviral High-Performance Copper-Coated Filter Produced via Ion Beam Treatment

“…However, it is essential to adhere the copper to the surface of the filter firmly because if the copper detaches from the filter, a human can inhale the copper, which becomes a toxin when inside the body [6]. In previous works, modifications to the surface of a filter using an ion beam enabled the strong adherence of materials onto the filter [15][16][17][18]. The adhesion was accomplished without damaging the fibers of the filter.…”