Preparation and Characterization of Chitosan Nanofibers Containing Silver Nanoparticles

Chitosan(CS)nanofibers containing silver nanoparticles(AgNPs)were prepared by in-situ reducing method.A water soluble carboxymethyl chitosan(CMCT)was applied for the preparation of AgNPs.The impact factor such as the concentration of CMCT,silver nitrate(AgNO_3)content,temperature and the heating time during the preparation of AgNPs were studied.The result showed that the proper value of the concentration of CMCT,AgNO_3content,temperature and the heating time were set as0.1%,20μL AgNO_3(1.7 mol/L),90°and 3 h,separately and the maximum concentration of AgNPs could be acquired.To solve the spinnability of chitosan nanofiber,a super high molecular weight polyethylene oxide(PEO)was introduced to the system,and a new mixed solvent system was prepared by adding acetic acid,dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO)and several drops of Triton X-100TMto distilled water.CS/PEO(80/20)with the concentration of 3%was dissolved in the mixed solvent to prepare electrospinning solution for CS/PEO(80/20)nanofiber fabrication.The CS containing AgNPs electrospun solution could be prepared by replacing the distilled water to silver nanoparticle solution during the preparation of mixed solvent.Ultraviolet visible(UV-Vis)spectra and transmission electron microscope(TEM)results showed that silver nanoparticles were prepared successfully.CS membranes with and without AgNPs were acquired via a traditional electrospinning equipment.These two nanofiber membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscope(SEM)images and mechanical testing.It could be noticed from the SEM images that there was a good morphology and random distribution for the nanofibers with an average fiber diameter of 180 nm.The mechanical property results showed that the addition of AgNPs decreased the mechanical strength significantly but the mechanical strength could still support wound dressing application.

The comparison of the Wnt signaling pathway inhibitor delivered electrospun nanoyarn fabricated with two methods for the application of urethroplasty

Urethral strictures were common disease caused by over-expression of extracellular matrix from fibroblast. In this study, we compare two nanoyarn scaffolds for improving fibroblasts infiltration without inhibition the over-expression of extracellular matrix. Collagenlpoly（L-lactide-co-caprolactone）（ColIP（LLA-CL）） nanoyarn scaffolds were prepared by conjugated electrospinning and dynamic liquid electrospinning, respectively, in addition, co-axial electrospinning technique was combined with the nanoyarn fabrication process to produce nanoyarn scaffolds loading Wntsignaling pathway inhibitor. The mechanical properties of the scaffolds were examined and morphology was observed by SEM. Cell morphology, proliferation and infiltration on the scaffolds were investigated by SEM, MTT assay and H＆E staining, respectively. The release profiles of different scaffolds were determined using HPLC. The results indicated that cells showed an organized morphology along the nanoyarns and considerable infiltration into the nanoyarn scaffolds prepared by dynamic liquid electrospinning （DLY）. It was also observed that the DLY significantly facilitate cell proliferation. The D-DLY could facilitate the infiltration of the fibroblasts and could be a promising scaffold for the treatment of urethra stricture while it may inhibit the collagen production.

A soft tissue adhesive based on aldehyde-sodium alginate and amino-carboxymethyl chitosan preparation through the Schiff reaction

Sodium alginate and carboxymethyl chitosan have been extensively applied in tissue engineering and other relative fields due to their low price and excellent biocompatibility. In this paper, we oxidized sodium alginate with sodium periodate to convert 1,2-hydroxyl groups into aldehyde groups to get aldehyde-sodium alginate （A- SA）. Carboxymethyl chitosan was modified with ethylenediamine （ED） in the presence of water-soluble N-（3-Dimethylaminopropyl）-N＇-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride （EDC） to introduce additional amino groups to get amino-carboxymethyl chitosan （A-CS）. Upon mixing the A-SA and A-CS aqueous solutions together, a gel rapidly formed based on the Schiff＇s base reaction between aldehyde groups in A-SA and amino groups in A-CS. FTIR analysis confirmed the characteristic peak of Schiff＇s base group in the hydrogel. It was confirmed that the gelation time be dependent on the aldehyde group content in A-SA and amino group content in A-CS. The fasted hydrogel formation takes place within 10 min. The data of bonding strength and cytotoxicity measurement also showed that the hydrogel had good adhesion and biocompatibility. All these results support that this gel has the potential as soft tissue adhesive.

Fabrication and characterization of Antheraea pernyi silk fibroin-blended P（LLA-CL） nanofibrous scaffolds for peripheral nerve tissue engineering

Electrospun nanofibers have gained widespreading interest for tissue engineering application. In the present study, ApF/P（LLA-CL） nanofibrous scaffolds were fabricated via electrospinning. The feasibility of the material as tissue engineering nerve scaffold was investigated in vitro. The average diameter increased with decreasing the blend ratio of ApF to P（LLA-CL）. Characterization of 13C NMR and FTIR clarified that there is no obvious chemical bond reaction between ApF and P（LLA-CL）. The tensile strength and elongation at break increased with the content increase of P（LLA-CL）. The surface hydrophilic property of nanofibrous scaffolds enhanced with the increased content of ApF. Cell viability studies with Schwann cells demonstrated that ApFIP（LLA-CL） blended nanofibrous scaffolds significantly promoted cell growth as compare to P（LLA-CL）, especially when the weight ratio of ApF to P（LLA-CL） was 25：75. The present work provides a basis for further studies of this novel nanofibrous material （ApF/P（LLA-CL）） in peripheral nerve tissue repair or regeneration.

Evaluation of hydrogels for soft tissue adhesives in vitro and in vivo analyses

In this study, natural materials （sodium alginate, dextran, gelatin and carboxymethyl chitosan） were modified to get aldehyde components and amino components. Upon mixing the two-component solutions together, four kinds of Schiff base hydrogels formed successfully within 5-300 s and could seal the wound tissue. The cytotoxicity tests of hydrogel extraction solution confirmed that the hydrogels are nontoxic materials. The adhesive ability was evaluated in vivo by measuring the adhesive strength after sealing the skin incisions on the back of rats. All the hydrogels showed higher adhesive strength than that of commercial fibrin glue and the blank control. The histological staining observation by hematoxylin and eosin staining （HE） and Masson＇s trichrome staining （MTC） methods suggested that the hydrogels had good biocompatibility and biodegradation in vivo. They have only normal initial inflammation to skin tissue and could improve the formation of new collagen in the incision section. So, the prepared hydrogels were both safe and effective tissue adhesive, which had the great potentials to be used as skin tissue adhesive.