Core-Sheath Electrospun Nanofibers Based on Chitosan and Cyclodextrin Polymer for the Prolonged Release of Triclosan.

This work focuses on the manufacture of core-sheath nanofibers (NFs) based on chitosan (CHT) as sheath and cyclodextrin polymer (PCD) as core and loaded with triclosan (TCL). In parallel, monolithic NFs consisting of blended CHT-PCD and TCL were prepared. Nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). SEM displayed the morphology of NFs and the structure of the nanowebs, while TEM evidenced the core-sheath structure of NFs prepared by coaxial electrospinning. The core diameters and sheath thicknesses were found dependent on respective flow rates of both precursor solutions. Nanofibers stability and TCL release in aqueous medium were studied and correlated with the antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Results showed that the release profiles of TCL and therefore the antibacterial activity were directly related to the type of nanofibers. In the case of monolithic nanofibers, the NFs matrix was composed of polyelectrolyte complex (PEC formed between CHT and PCD) and resulted in a prolonged release of TCL and a sustained antibacterial effect. In the case of core-sheath NFs, the PEC was formed only at the core-sheath interface, leading to less stable NFs and therefore to a faster release of TCL, and to a less extended antibacterial activity compared to monolithic ones.

Release-killing properties of a textile modified by a layer-by-layer coating based on two oppositely charged cyclodextrin polyelectrolytes.

Infections represent a major medical concern and have severe impact on the public health economy. Antimicrobial coatings represent one major solution and are the subject of many investigations in academic and industrial research. Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) consist in the step-by-step deposition of polyanions and polycations films on surfaces. The wide range of disposable polyelectrolytes makes this approach among the most versatile methods as it allows to design surfaces that prevent bacterial adhesion, and kill bacteria by contact or by releasing antibacterial agents. The present work focused on the release-killing effect of an active PEM coating of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) textile support. This activity was obtained thanks to the PEM film build up using cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes both based on cyclodextrins (PCD- and PCD+) that provided a reservoir property and prolonged release of triclosan (TCS). To this effect, a PET non-woven preliminarily modified with carboxylate groups by applying a thermofixation process was then treated by dip-coating, alternating soaking cycles in cationic PCD+ and in anionic PCD- solutions. Samples coated with such PEM film were then loaded with TCS whose release was assessed in dynamic mode in a phosphate buffered saline solution (PBS) at 37 °C. In parallel, TCS/PCD+ and TCS/PCD- interactions were investigated by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and phase solubility study, and the biocide activity was assessed against S. aureus and E. coli. Finally, the present study has demonstrated that our PCD+/PCD- PEM system presented release-killing properties that supplement the contact-killing effect of this system that was reported in a previous paper.

Synthesis and characterization of polyampholytic aryl-sulfonated chitosans and their in vitro anticoagulant activity.

This work firstly aimed to synthesize mono- and di- sulfonic derivatives of chitosan by reductive amination reaction using respectively 2-formyl benzene sulfonic acid and 2,4 formyl benzene sulfonic acid sodium salts. The influence of the reactants molar ratio (R), aryl - substituted amino groups versus chitosan free amino groups, on the degree of substitution (DS) of both sulfonated chitosans was assessed by 1H NMR, elemental analysis, coupled conductometry-potentiometry analysis and UV spectrometry and FTIR. The influence of pH on sulfonated chitosans' properties in solution were investigated by solubility and zeta potential (ZP) studies, size exclusion chromatography equipped with MALLS detection (SEC-MALLS) and Taylor dispersion analysis (TDA). The polyampholytic character of both series was evidenced and strongly modified the solutions properties compared to chitosan. Then, the anticoagulant properties of mono- and di- sulfonic polymers were investigated by the measurement of the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), Prothrombin-time (PT) and anti-(factor Xa).

Triclosan loaded electrospun nanofibers based on a cyclodextrin polymer and chitosan polyelectrolyte complex.

This work focuses on the relevance of antibacterial nanofibers based on a polyelectrolyte complex formed between positively charged chitosan (CHT) and an anionic hydroxypropyl betacyclodextrin (CD)-citric acid polymer (PCD) complexing triclosan (TCL). The study of PCD/TCL inclusion complex and its release in dynamic conditions, a cytocompatibility study, and finally the antibacterial activity assessment were studied. The fibers were obtained by electrospinning a solution containing chitosan mixed with PCD/TCL inclusion complex. CHT/TCL and CHT-CD/TCL were also prepared as control samples. The TCL loaded nanofibers were analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transformed Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Nanofibers stability and swelling behavior in aqueous medium were pH and CHT:PCD weight ratio dependent. Such results confirmed that CHT and PCD interacted through ionic interactions, forming a polyelectrolyte complex. A high PCD content in addition to a thermal post treatment at 90°C were necessary to reach a nanofibers stability during 15days in soft acidic conditions, at pH=5.5. In dynamic conditions (USP IV system), a prolonged release of TCL with a reduced burst effect was observed on CHT-PCD polyelectrolyte complex based fibers compared to CHT-CD nanofibers. These results were confirmed by a microbiology study showing prolonged antibacterial activity of the nanofibers against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Such results could be explained by the fact that the stability of the polyelectrolyte CHT-PCD complex in the nanofibers matrix prevented the diffusion of the PCD/triclosan inclusion complex in the supernatant, on the contrary of the similar system including cyclodextrin in its monomeric form.