Enhancing multifunctional electrospun polycaprolactone/chitosan nanofibers using ferric oxide nanoparticles for biomedical and flexible optoelectronic applications
This PCL-CS/6% Fe2O3 hybrid compound offers potential as an alternative to engineered medical tissues for antimicrobial applications, allowing for the production of materials with optical and electrical properties, as well as antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal effects.
Abstract
In this study, composite nanofibers based on polycaprolactone (PCL)/chitosan (CS)/iron oxide (Fe2O3) were successfully fabricated. Although PCL and CS polymers are biodegradable, their applications are limited in fields requiring enhanced functional properties. The incorporating Fe2O3 nanoparticles overcomes these limitations, allowing for the production of materials with optical and electrical properties, as well as antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal effects. Electrospun nanofibers were synthesized using electrospinning. Adding Fe2O3 nanoparticles to PCL-CS polymers improves optical and electrical properties, as well as antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activities. Optical properties improve with increasing Fe2O3 nanoparticle content, including the energy gap, absorbance, and refractive index. Electrical conductivity increases with increasing Fe2O3 nanoparticle content and temperature. Antibacterial activity increases with increasing nanoparticle content, demonstrating effectiveness against both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli, accompanied by larger inhibition zones. Additionally, free-radical scavenging and fungal inhibition are enhanced. This PCL-CS/6% Fe2O3 hybrid compound offers potential as an alternative to engineered medical tissues for antimicrobial applications.
Electrospun poly-based fibers functionalized with silver and gold nanoparticles demonstrated an excellent balance of safety, cytocompatibility, and antibacterial performance, making them promising candidates for biomedical applications that require both inflammation control and antimicrobial protection.
Antónia Kurillová, Saverio Caporalini, Bahareh Azimi et al.· Frontiers in Bioengineering...· 0 citations
The results demonstrated that AgNPs-loaded mats exhibited the highest inhibition zones, followed by neem-loaded mats, while chitosan showed comparatively lower activity, which highlights the comparative effectiveness of incorporating different antibacterial agents into PVA-CMC polymer-based nanofibers.
Mst Sadia Islam, Muntaha Rahman Raha, Rakib Ahmed et al.· International Journal of Pol...· 0 citations
This study reports the green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) using ultrasonic-assisted Ectocarpales macroalgal extract and their incorporation into electrospun polyvinyl alcohol/starch nanoscaffolds for biomedical applications. The biosynthesized CuO NPs exhibited characteristic UV-Vis absorption (200 nm SPR peak), monoclinic crystallinity (XRD), and functional surface groups (FT-IR), while SEM confirmed their spherical morphology (50-200 nm) and uniform dispersion within nanofibers (70-90 nm diameter). The composite scaffolds demonstrated thermal stability up to 400°C (TGA), moderate colloidal stability (zeta potential: +14.03 mV), and enhanced bioactivity. Remarkably, nanoscaffolds showed superior antioxidant capacity (IC₅₀: 15 µg/mL vs. 45 µg/mL for extract alone) in DPPH assays and promoted 3T3-L1 cell viability (114% at 100 µg/mL). The synergistic effects between CuO NPs and the polymeric matrix resulted in a multifunctional material with optimal physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and radical scavenging potential, positioning it as a promising candidate for tissue engineering and wound healing applications.
Kaliyamoorthy Dass, Vasundhara Chandirasekar, Sai Shiva Ram Meda et al.· PAIN, JOINTS, SPINE· 0 citations
Sustainable packaging plays a critical role in addressing the severe environmental pollution caused by synthetic polymers. In this study, pectin-incorporated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers containing Perovskia abrotanoides essential oil (EO) and its nanoemulsion form (NEO) were successfully optimized and fabricated using electrospinning. Physicochemical properties were characterized using SEM, FTIR, DSC, XRD, and zeta potential analysis. Optimal electrospinning parameters were achieved with 8% PVA and 2% pectin (80:20), a feed rate of 1 mL/h, and an applied voltage of 18.0 kV, yielding uniform, bead-free nanofibers. EO and NEO were incorporated at concentrations of 0.5 MIC, 1 MIC, and 2 MIC to assess their antioxidant and antibacterial performance. SEM analysis revealed that 2 MIC EO and 0.5 MIC NEO produced smoother nanofibers with mean diameters of 898 ± 240 nm and 755 ± 148 nm, respectively, along with enhanced antibacterial efficacy against seven foodborne pathogens. Compared with EO-loaded systems, NEO-loaded nanofibers exhibited higher absolute zeta potential values ( -5.9 mV for 2NEO) and superior stability mechanical properties. Overall, this study suggests that PVA/pectin nanofibers containing Perovskia abrotanoides NEO are promising sustainable multifunctional packaging material.
Samaneh Tabibian, Maryam Hashemi, P. Innocenzi et al.· Scientific Reports· 0 citations
Graphene and inorganic nanoparticles combined to create novel nanomaterials with distinctive properties have garnered a lot of interest. These have kept scientists on their toes and are being used in many different sectors. The Cu‐rGO nanocomposites in a PVP/PCL polymer matrix were created through the solvent casting technique. A biocompatible and biodegradable polymer, PVP/PCL, was chosen for use in this case. The analysis indicated that the Cu‐rGO nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed within the PVP/PCL polymer matrix and possessed the expected elemental composition. Both Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria were used to assess the antibacterial properties of the nanocomposites. The findings indicated that the nanocomposites had a better effect than pure‐rGO on antibacterial properties. This is probably because copper nanoparticles enhance the inherent antibacterial properties of graphene oxide through continuous release of copper ions. They also checked if the materials were compatible with blood by monitoring hemolysis. The study revealed that all materials had low hemolysis levels and, therefore, were compatible with blood. However, there was some cell survival in each of the samples tested. This may be attributed to the oxidative stress induced by Cu ions. After 3 days, cell survival in the presence of PCuG5 was 68%.
Unknown authors· Polymers for Advanced Techno...· 0 citations
Multifunctional polymer scaffolds with mechanical support, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial activity are key for next-generation biomedical materials. We report the fabrication of electrospun nanocomposite fibers made from polycaprolactone (PCL), starch, and mesoporous aluminum oxide nanoparticles (n-Al2O3). Nanoparticles (11 ± 4 nm) were synthesized via a sol-gel method, predominantly comprising γ- and α-Al2O3 phases. Four fiber systems were fabricated by side-by-side electrospinning: PCL, PCL/starch, PCL/n-Al2O3, and PCL/starch/n-Al2O3. SEM analysis confirmed uniform and bead-free fibers in all formulations. Tensile tests showed that the incorporation of starch and nanoparticles improved the mechanical performance compared with neat PCL. In particular, PCL/starch/n-Al2O3 fibers exhibited increases of 404% in Young’s modulus and 102% in elongation at break. In PBS, starch and n-Al2O3 enhanced hydrophilicity and accelerated weight loss, with PCL/starch/n-Al2O3 showing the highest mass loss. Antibacterial tests indicated that only fibers with nanoparticles could inhibit Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, with PCL/starch/n-Al2O3 showing a major effect. Although n-Al2O3 increased cytotoxicity toward NIH-3T3, starch mitigated this effect, and the ternary scaffold showed no detectable cytotoxicity. Moreover, PCL/starch/n-Al2O3 exhibited non-hemolytic behavior, enhanced fibroblast migration, and wound-healing-related protein expression. Overall, side-by-side electrospun PCL/starch/n-Al2O3 scaffold exhibited showed improved mechanical, biological, and antibacterial properties, supporting its potential as a wound-dressing material.
Felipe Gutiérrez, D. Zárate-Triviño, Francisco A. Cataño et al.· International Journal of Mol...· 0 citations
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