Preparation of antibacterial biocompatible polycaprolactone/keratin nanofibrous mats by electrospinning

Abstract

Keratin‐based materials are widely used in biomedical applications due to excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, keratin was extracted from waste wool fibers and blended with polycaprolactone (PCL) to produce PCL/keratin nanofibrous mats by electrospinning. The electrospun PCL/keratin nanofibrous mats were chlorinated in diluted sodium hypochlorite solution to endow antibacterial properties. The prepared nanofibrous mats were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron, and Fourier infrared spectroscopy. The effect of the chlorination time on the active chlorine loading of the mats was investigated. The chlorinated PCL/keratin nanofibrous mats with 0.78 ± 0.009 wt% active chlorine displayed potent antibacterial activity against Gram‐positive Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and Gram‐negative Escherichia coli O157:H7 (ATCC 43895) with 6.88 and 6.81 log reductions, respectively. It was found that the mats were compatible with mouse fibroblast cells (L929). The chlorinated PCL/keratin nanofibrous mats might find promising applications in the biomedical field.

Development of Antibacterial and Hemostatic PCL/Zein/ZnO‐Quaternary Ammonium Salts NPs Composite Mats as Wound Dressings

“…The biocidal efficacy against Gram-positive S. aureus (ATCC 6538) and Gram-negative E. coli O157:H7 (ATCC 43 895) were evaluated according to a modified AATCC 100-2004 sandwich test. [34] Briefly, 25 μL of bacterial suspension (1 × 10 6 CFU mL −1 ) was sandwiched between two square mats (2.54 cm × 2.54 cm), and a sterile weight was pressed on them to ensure good contact between the bacterial suspension and the mats. After contact time of 5, 10, 30, and 60 min, the mats were transferred to sterile centrifuge tubes containing 25 mL PBS solution and vortexed for 250 s to remove bacterial from the mats.…”

Alleviating the toxicity concerns of antibacterial cinnamon‐polycaprolactone biomaterials for healthcare‐related biomedical applications

“…PCL is a frequently used polymer in biomaterials, tissue engineering, and controlled delivery applications owing to its biocompatibility and biodegradability 39 . PCL is a semi‐crystalline polymer with a low degradation rate and good mechanical properties allowing it to have a high degree of flexibility and tensile strength, making it suitable for use in healthcare applications 40,41 . PCL is a hydrophobic polymer, which is advantageous for the preparation of hydrophobic active ingredients in common organic solvent systems.…”

“… 39 PCL is a semi‐crystalline polymer with a low degradation rate and good mechanical properties allowing it to have a high degree of flexibility and tensile strength, making it suitable for use in healthcare applications. 40 , 41 PCL is a hydrophobic polymer, which is advantageous for the preparation of hydrophobic active ingredients in common organic solvent systems. Additionally, it has great compatibility with volatile solvents simplifying the production process.…”

Effects of the Blending Ratio on the Design of Keratin/Poly(butylene succinate) Nanofibers for Drug Delivery Applications

“…Indeed, this protein is characterized by relatively low molecular weights and wide molecular weight distributions which confer keratin solutions with poor rhological properties for their processing. The blending of keratin with other both natural or synthetic biopolymers is a common strategy used to overcome the aforementioned drawback and to improve its processing in order to fabricate biomaterial systems and devices with tunable chemical, mechanical, biological and biomimetic properties according to the desired application [6,7]. As to synthetic polymers, their easy synthesis, processability and the ability to tune their properties in view of different uses, make them particularly suitable for a wide plethora of applications.…”