Fabrication and Characterization of Electrospun Polyvinylalcohol/Poly-ε-Caprolactone Nanofiber Coated Natural Antibacterial Agent for Potential Scaffold
Faisal Hussin (a), Nur Ain Atiqah Mohd Amin (b), Tan Yong Chee (b), Nik Ahmad Nizam Nik Malek (a,c), Abdul Rahim Mohd Yusoff (b*)
a) Centre for Sustainable Nanomaterials (CSNano), Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research (ISI-ISIR), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310 UTM Johor, Malaysia
b) Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310 UTM Johor, Malaysia
c) Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310 UTM Johor, Malaysia
*arahimyusoff[at]kimia.fs.utm.my
Abstract
Bacterial infection and injury caused by dressing removal are two concerning issues affecting the healing process in treatment of skin damaged. Electrospun nanofiber as substrate demonstrates promising results in tissue recovery process by promotion of cell adhesion and expansion. In this study, the electrospun of polyvinyl alcohol/poly-ε-caprolactone (PVA/PCL) nanofiber coated with two different types of natural antibacterial agents, i.e. poly-L-lysine and chitosan were investigated. PVA-PCL coated antibiotic chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) was also prepared for comparison purpose. The FESEM images showed an increase in fiber diameter with the presence of antibacterial agents. The effects of antibacterial agents were examined by Disk Diffusion Test against S.aureus and E. coli based on measurement of inhibition zone of bacterial growth. The results reveal that CHG, poly-L-lysine and chitosan started to inhibit the growth of bacteria when coating in 5, 15 and 20 min, respectively. Besides, the tensile strength values of PVA/PCL/antibacterial agents tested appear to be within the range of tensile strength values for human skin which conclude that the PVA/PCL/antibacterial agent nanofiber is suitable for regenerating human skin. Lastly, the hydrophilicity of the electrospun of PVA/PCL/antibacterial agents nanofiber was confirmed by water contact angle measurement which is 0°, thus theoretically can improve the cell adhesion and expansion onto the skin membrane.
Keywords: Electrospun; Polyvinyl alcohol; Poly-ε-caprolactone; Chitosan; Scaffold
Topic: Biomaterial Science