Chitosan-poly(lactic acid) electrospun nanofibers for wound healing application

Electrospun polymer-based nanofibers are of increasing interest in contemporary applied biomedicine. The challenge regarding modern surgery and tissue engineering is to discover a variety of manufactured scaffolds with improved properties that can replace and regenerate damaged skin and organs. The unique properties of polymer nanofibers, such are submicron and nanoscale diameters, large surface area, flexibility, etc., make them an attractive object for a wide range of applications.

In this study, a combination of chitosan as natural polymer and poly(lactic) acid as synthetic polymer is studied with the aim of improving and accelerating the healing of skin wounds. Chitosan (Chi) is one of the most promising polymers for scaffold design, due to its high biodegradability, non-toxic and antibacterial properties. On the other hand, poly(lactic) acid (PLA) possesses enhanced electrospinability potential and desirable mechanical strength. Therefore, the combination of Chi and PLA enhances the mutually superior properties of both. After optimizing the process parameters, imaging, and determining the diameter of the nanofibers, the scaffold potential for wound healing was investigated by in vitro scratch test on a healthy fibroblast cell line.

The study concludes that ultrafine Chi-PLA nanofiber scaffolds have significant potential to regenerate and restore damaged tissue under in vitro conditions.