Electrospun nanofibers synthesized from polymers incorporated with bioactive compounds for wound healing.

The development of innovative wound dressing materials is crucial for effective wound care. It's an active area of research driven by a better understanding of chronic wound pathogenesis. Addressing wound care properly is a clinical challenge, but there is a growing demand for advancements in this field. The synergy of medicinal plants and nanotechnology offers a promising approach to expedite the healing process for both acute and chronic wounds by facilitating the appropriate progression through various healing phases. Metal nanoparticles play an increasingly pivotal role in promoting efficient wound healing and preventing secondary bacterial infections. Their small size and high surface area facilitate enhanced biological interaction and penetration at the wound site. Specifically designed for topical drug delivery, these nanoparticles enable the sustained release of therapeutic molecules, such as growth factors and antibiotics. This targeted approach ensures optimal cell-to-cell interactions, proliferation, and vascularization, fostering effective and controlled wound healing. Nanoscale scaffolds have significant attention due to their attractive properties, including delivery capacity, high porosity and high surface area. They mimic the Extracellular matrix (ECM) and hence biocompatible. In response to the alarming rise of antibiotic-resistant, biohybrid nanofibrous wound dressings are gradually replacing conventional antibiotic delivery systems. This emerging class of wound dressings comprises biopolymeric nanofibers with inherent antibacterial properties, nature-derived compounds, and biofunctional agents. Nanotechnology, diminutive nanomaterials, nanoscaffolds, nanofibers, and biomaterials are harnessed for targeted drug delivery aimed at wound healing. This review article discusses the effects of nanofibrous scaffolds loaded with nanoparticles on wound healing, including biological (in vivo and in vitro) and mechanical outcomes.

Micro/nanofibrous nonwovens with high filtration performance and radiative heat dissipation property for personal protective face mask.

The COVID-19 pandemic and airborne particulate matter (PM) pollution have posed a great threat to human health. Personal protective face masks have become an indispensable protective equipment in our daily lives. However, wearing conventional face masks for a long time cause swelter and discomfort on the face. Introducing thermal comfort into personal protective face masks becomes desirable. Herein, face masks that show excellent filtration performance and radiative heat dissipation effect are successfully designed and prepared by electrospining Nylon-6 (PA) nanofibers onto polyethylene (PE) meltblown nonwovens. The resultant PE/PA nonwovens have high PM filtration efficiency (>99%) with a low pressure drop (<100 Pa). Moreover, taking the advantage of the property of PE, the designed face mask posses high mid-infrared (mid-IR) transmittance and brings about high radiative cooling power, resulting in effective heat dissipation performance. This face mask design may provides new insights into the development of thermal comfort materials for personal protection.

Electrospun N-Substituted Polyurethane Membranes with Self-Healing Ability for Self-Cleaning and Oil/Water Separation.

Membranes with special functionalities, such as self-cleaning, especially those for oil/water separation, have attracted much attention due to their wide applications. However, they are difficult to recycle and reuse after being damaged. Herein, we put forward a new N-substituted polyurethane membrane concept with self-healing ability to address this challenge. The membrane obtained by electrospinning has a self-cleaning surface with an excellent self-healing ability. Importantly, by tuning the membrane composition, the membrane exhibits different wettability for effective separation of oil/water mixtures and water-in-oil emulsions, whilst still displaying a self-healing ability and durability against damage. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate a self-healing membrane for oil/water separation, which provides the fundamental research for the development of advanced oil/water separation materials.

Oxygen vacancy modulation in interfacial engineering Fe3O4 over carbon nanofiber boosting ambient electrocatalytic N2 reduction.

The oxygen vacancy modulation of interface-engineered Fe3O4 nanograins over carbon nanofiber (Fe@CNF) was achieved to improve electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) activity and stability via facile electrospinning and tuning thermal procedure. The optimal catalyst calcined at 800 ℃ (Fe@CNF-800) was endowed with abundant nanograin boundaries and optimized oxygen vacancy (Vo) concentration of iron oxides, thereby affording 37.1 µg h-1 mgcat.-1 (-0.2 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) NH3 yield and rational Faraday efficiency (10.2%), with 13.6 times atomic activity enhancement compared to of that commercial Fe3O4. The interfacial effect of assembled nanograins in particles correlated with the formation of Vo and more intrinsic active sites, which is conducive to the trapping and activation of nitrogen (N2). The in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurement revealed the real consumption of adsorbed oxygen when introducing N2 by the trapping effect of Vo. Density-Functional-Theory (DFT) calculation validates the promotive hydrogenation effect and elimination of hydrogen intermediate (H*) interacted with N2 transferring toward oxygen of the support. The optimal catalyst shows a lasting NRR activity at least 90 h, outperforming most reported Fe-based NRR catalysts.

Electrospun cellulose acetate nanofibrous composites for multi-responsive shape memory actuators and self-powered pressure sensors.

Soft actuators and sensors have attracted extensive scientific interest attributed to their great potential applications in various fields, but the integration of actuating and sensing functions in one material is still a big challenge. Here, we developed an electrospun cellulose acetate (CA)/carbon nanotube nanofiborous composite with both functional applications as multi-responsive shape memory actuators and triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based sensors. Attributed to excellent thermo- and light-induced shape memory performance, the CA nanofiborous composites showed high heavy-lift capability as light driven actuators, able to lift burdens 1050 times heavier than their own weight. The CA nanofiborous membranes based TENG exhibited high output performance with open-circuit voltage, short-circuit density, and instantaneous power density about 103.2 V, 7.93 mA m-2 and 0.74 W m-2, respectively. The fabricated TENG based pressure sensor exhibited a high sensitivity of 3.03 V kPa-1 below 6.8 kPa and 0.11 V kPa-1 in the pressure range from 6.8 to 65 kPa, which can be effectively used to monitor human motion state and measure wind velocity. It is expected that the electrospun composites with actuating and sensing functions will show prosperous applications prospects in soft robotics.

Immunobiology of foreign body response to composite PLACL/gelatin electrospun nanofiber meshes with mesenchymal stem/stromal cells in a mouse model: Implications in pelvic floor tissue engineering and regeneration.

Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) is a common gynaecological disorder where pelvic organs protrude into the vagina. While transvaginal mesh surgery using non-degradable polymers was a commonly accepted treatment for POP, it has been associated with high rates of adverse events such as mesh erosion, exposure and inflammation due to serious foreign body response and therefore banned from clinical use after regulatory mandates. This study proposes a tissue engineering strategy using uterine endometrium-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (eMSC) delivered with degradable poly L-lactic acid-co-poly ε-caprolactone (PLACL) and gelatin (G) in form of a composite electrospun nanofibrous mesh (P + G nanomesh) and evaluates the immunomodulatory mechanism at the material interfaces. The study highlights the critical acute and chronic inflammatory markers along with remodelling factors that determine the mesh surgery outcome. We hypothesise that such a bioengineered construct enhances mesh integration and mitigates the Foreign Body Response (FBR) at the host interface associated with mesh complications. Our results show that eMSC-based nanomesh significantly increased 7 genes associated with ECM synthesis and cell adhesion including, Itgb1, Itgb2, Vcam1, Cd44, Cdh2, Tgfb1, Tgfbr1, 6 genes related to angiogenesis including Ang1, Ang2, Vegfa, Pdgfa, Serpin1, Cxcl12, and 5 genes associated with collagen remodelling Col1a1, Col3a1, Col6a1, Col6a2, Col4a5 at six weeks post-implantation. Our findings suggest that cell-based tissue-engineered constructs potentially mitigate the FBR response elicited by biomaterial implants. From a clinical perspective, this construct provides an alternative to current inadequacies in surgical outcomes by modulating the immune response, inducing angiogenesis and ECM synthesis during the acute and chronic phases of the FBR.

Corona-Poled Porous Electrospun Films of Gram-Scale Y-Doped ZnO and PVDF Composites for Piezoelectric Nanogenerators.

For digging out eco-friendly and well-performed energy harvesters, piezoelectric nanogenerators are preferred owing to their effortless assembly. Corona-poling promotes output performance of either aligned or porous PVDF electrospun films and higher piezoelectric output was achieved by corona-poled porous PVDF electrospun films due to more poled electret dipoles in pores. Increasing the duration of electrospinning rendered more electret dipoles in PVDF porous electrospun films, resulting in higher piezoelectric output. Moreover, corona-poled PVDF/Y-ZnO porous electrospun films performed better than corona-poled PVDF/ZnO porous electrospun films because of the larger polar crystal face of Y-ZnO. Flexible piezoelectric polymer PVDF and high-piezoelectric Y-ZnO complement each other in electrospun films. With 15 wt% of Y-ZnO, corona-poled PVDF/Y-ZnO porous electrospun films generated maximum power density of 3.6 µW/cm2, which is 18 times that of PVDF/BiCl3 electrospun films.

Epitaxial Growth of Flower-Like MoS2 on One-Dimensional Nickel Titanate Nanofibers: A "Sweet Spot" for Efficient Photoreduction of Carbon Dioxide.

Herein, a full spectrum-induced hybrid structure consisting of one-dimensional nickel titanate (NiTiO3) nanofibers (NFs) decorated by petal-like molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) particles was designed through a facile hydrothermal method. The key parameters for tailoring the morphology and chemical, surface, and interfacial properties of the heterostructure were identified for efficient and selective conversion of CO2 into valuable chemicals. Introducing MoS2 layers onto NiTiO3 NFs provided superior CO2 conversion with significantly higher yields. The optimized hybrid structure produced CO and CH4 yields of 130 and 55 µmol g-1 h-1, respectively, which are 3.8- and 3.6-times higher than those from pristine NiTiO3 nanofibers (34 and 15 µmol g-1 h-1, respectively) and 3.6- and 5.5-times higher than those from pristine MoS2 (37 and 10 µmol g-1 h-1, respectively). This improved performance was attributed to efficient absorption of a wider spectrum of light and efficient transfer of electrons across the heterojunction. Effective charge separation and reduced charge carrier recombination were confirmed by photoluminescence and impedance measurements. The performance may also be partly due to enhanced hydrophobicity of the hierarchical surfaces due to MoS2 growth. This strategy contributes to the rational design of perovskite-based photocatalysts for CO2 reduction.

Multi-scale hierarchical scaffolds with aligned micro-fibers for promoting cell alignment.

Cell alignment plays an essential role in cytoskeleton reorganization, extracellular matrix remodeling, and biomechanical properties regulation of tissues such as vascular tissues, cardiac muscles, and tendons. Based on the natural-oriented features of cells in native tissues, various biomimetic scaffolds have been reported with the introduction of well-arranged ultrafine fibers to induce cell alignment. However, it is still a challenge to fabricate scaffolds with suitable mechanical properties, biomimetic microenvironment, and ability to promote cell alignment. In this paper, we propose an integrated 3D printing system to fabricate multi-scale hierarchical scaffolds combined with meso-, micro-, and nano-fibrous filaments, in which the meso-, micro-, and nano-fibers fabricated via fused deposition modeling, melt electrospining writing, and solution electrospining can provide structural support, promote cell alignment, and create a biomimetic microenvironment to facilitate cell function, respectively. The plasma surface modification was performed improve the surface wettability of the scaffolds by measuring the contact angle. The obtainedin vitrobiological results validate the ability of multi-scale hierarchical scaffolds to enhance cell adhesion and proliferation, and promote cell alignment with the guidance of the aligned microfibers produced via melt electrospining writing in hierarchical scaffolds.

Application of reusable flat-membrane in electro-membrane extraction for tamsulosin hydrochloride determination in cleaning validation samples of sterile production line equipment by RP-HPLC.

In order to ensure compliance with the current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP), cleaning process of pharmaceutical manufacturers should be validated. This study was aimed to utilize a reusable flat-membrane in the electromembrane extraction (EME) for isolation of tamsulosin hydrochloride (TMS) from rinse samples of sterile production of pharmaceutical line. Moreover, validation of mentioned method was done. The residual concentration of TMS was determined by RP-HPLC. Effective parameters such as pH, applying voltage and extraction time were optimized individually. Optimum conditions were found 12, 100 V and 10 min for pH, applying voltage and extraction time, respectively. Figures of merit were calculated under optimum conditions, therefore, linear range and limit of detection (LOD) were obtained 0.5-1000 ng mL-1 with a good coefficient of determination (R2=0.9901) and 0.05 ng mL-1, respectively. Last but not least, RSD of determination was found 0.67% which shows a satisfactory repeatability. According to the obtained results, proposed method is a precise, accurate, relatively fast and applicable route to determine TMS concentrations in rinse samples.

Electrospun CNF Supported Ceramics as Electrochemical Catalysts for Water Splitting and Fuel Cell: A Review.

With the per capita growth of energy demand, there is a significant need for alternative and sustainable energy resources. Efficient electrochemical catalysis will play an important role in sustaining that need, and nanomaterials will play a crucial role, owing to their high surface area to volume ratio. Electrospun nanofiber is one of the most promising alternatives for producing such nanostructures. A section of key nano-electrocatalysts comprise of transition metals (TMs) and their derivatives, like oxides, sulfides, phosphides and carbides, etc., as well as their 1D composites with carbonaceous elements, like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofiber (CNF), to utilize the fruits of TMs' electronic structure, their inherent catalytic capability and the carbon counterparts' stability, and electrical conductivity. In this work, we will discuss about such TM derivatives, mostly TM-based ceramics, grown on the CNF substrates via electrospinning. We will discuss about manufacturing methods, and their electrochemical catalysis performances in regards to energy conversion processes, dealing mostly with water splitting, the metal-air battery fuel cell, etc. This review will help to understand the recent evolution, challenges and future scopes related to electrospun transition metal derivative-based CNFs as electrocatalysts.

Pluronic F127-Modified Electrospun Fibrous Meshes for Synergistic Combination Chemotherapy of Colon Cancer.

Colon cancer ranks as the third most common malignancy in the world. Combination chemotherapy, resorting to electrospun fibrous technology, has been considered as a promising strategy to exert synergistic effects in colon cancer treatment. Herein, we manufactured various pluronic F127 (PF127)-modified electrospun fibrous meshes with different weight ratios of camptothecin (CPT) and curcumin (CUR). The fluorescence characterization of the obtained PF127-CPT-meshes, PF127-CUR-meshes, and PF127-CPT/CUR-meshes (2:1) showed that CPT and CUR were evenly distributed within individual fibers of these meshes. Drug release experiments revealed that both types of drugs could be released from fibrous meshes simultaneously and sustainably. Importantly, these meshes exhibited strong in vitro anti-colon cancer activities, compared with the control meshes without drugs. Moreover, the combination index values of the PF127-CPT/CUR-meshes (CPT/CUR weight ratio = 5:1, 3:1, or 2:1) were <0.5 after incubation for respective 24 and 36 h, indicating the synergistic anti-colon cancer effects of CPT and CUR in fibrous meshes. Collectively, these results demonstrate that PF127-CPT/CUR-meshes can be developed as an efficient implantable system for effective synergistic treatment of colon cancer.

Soft-sheath, stiff-core microfiber hydrogel for coating vascular implants.

Vascular implants remain clinically challenged due to often-occurring thrombosis and stenosis. Critical to addressing these complications is the design of implant material surfaces to inhibit the activities of platelets, smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and inflammatory cells. Recent mechanobiology studies accentuate the significance of material elasticity to cells and tissues. We thus developed and characterized an implant coating composed of hybrid, viscoelastic microfibers with coaxial core-sheath nanostructure. The coating over metallic stent material was formed by first depositing coaxially-electrospun fibers of poly(L-lactic acid) core and polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate sheath, and then polymerizing fibers with various UV times. Material characterizations were performed to evaluate the coating structure, mechanical property and biocompatibility. Results showed that coaxial microfibers exhibited arterial-like mechanics. The soft surface, high water content and swelling ratio of the coaxial fibers resemble hydrogels, while they are mechanically strong with an elastic modulus of 172-729 kPa. The coating strength and surface elasticity were tunable with the photopolymerization time. Further, the elastic fibers, as conformal coating on stent metal, strongly reduced SMC overgrowth and discouraged platelet adhesion and activation, compared to bare metals. Importantly, after 7-day subcutaneous implantation, coaxial fiber-coated implants showed more favorable in vivo responses with reduced tissue encapsulation, compared to bare stent metals or those coated with a two-layered fiber mixture composed of fibers from individual polymers. The excellent biocompatibility aroused from nanostructural interfaces of hybrid fibers offering hydrated, soft, nonfouling microenvironments. Such integrated fiber system may allow creation of advanced vascular implants that possess physico-mechanical properties of native arteries.

Electrospun Cellulose Nanocrystals/Chitosan/Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofibrous Films and their Exploration to Metal Ions Adsorption.

Cellulose nanocrystals/chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol (CNC/CS/PVA) composite nanofibrous films were prepared while using an electrospinning technique and successfully thiol-functionalized. Then, the modified films were used for the sorption-desorption of Cu(II) and Pb(II) ions. Subsequently, the adsorption capacity of the films was investigated by changing the CNC loading level, solution pH, and adsorption time. Results showed that the adsorption of metal ions by the films was the best with CNC loading level of 5 wt %, pH of 6, and adsorption time of 4 h. The adsorption behavior of the films was agreed with the Freundlich model. The adsorption equation of metal ions could be described while using a pseudo-second order model. Based on the Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacities of Cu(II) and Pb(II) ions were estimated to be 484.06 and 323.49 mg/g, respectively. The Cu(II) and Pb(II) ions adsorption efficiencies of the films after 4 adsorption-desorption cycles were 90.58% and 90.21%, respectively. This study may provide a feasible approach for the application of functional CNC/CS/PVA nanofibrous films in the treatment of water.

Electrospun biocompatible Chitosan/MIL-101 (Fe) composite nanofibers for solid-phase extraction of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in whole blood samples using Box-Behnken experimental design.

The nanofibers of biocompatible Chitosan/MIL-101 (Fe) composite were synthesized by a simple, cheap and accessible electrospining method and applied for mat-based extraction of trace amount of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from human whole blood sample following its combination by high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection. The composite nanofibres were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and N2 adsorption-desorption experiments. The volume of eluting solvent, sorbent amount, pH and% NaCl (w/v) influencing on the responses were investigated using factorial experimental design. The optimum point was achieved by analysis of the results according to design expert (DX) software. The volume of eluting solvent, sorbent amount and pH were significant variables, and 150µL, 7mg and 7.0 were respectively chosen for obtaining the best extraction response. Under the optimum conditions, the method was exhibited a linear range of 0.1-100µgL-1 (R2=0.9943) for THC with a detection limit of 0.04µgL-1. Acceptable values for intra-day (3.2%) and inter-day (4.8%) relative standard deviations were obtained. The high preconcentration factor (970) and satisfactory recoveries (88.2%-92.4%) in whole blood samples were achieved which proved the capability of the method for trace determination of THC in the human whole blood samples.

Bioactive, Elastic, and Biodegradable Emulsion Electrospun DegraPol Tube Delivering PDGF-BB for Tendon Rupture Repair.

Healing of tendon ruptures represents a major challenge in musculoskeletal injuries and combinations of biomaterials with biological factors are suggested as viable option for improved healing. The standard approach of repair by conventional suture leads to incomplete healing or rerupture. Here, a new elastic type of DegraPol® (DP), a polyester urethane, is explored as a delivery device for platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) to promote tendon healing. Using emulsion electrospinning as an easy method for incorporation of biomolecules within polymers, DegraPol® supports loading and release of PDGF-BB. Morphological, mechanical and delivery device properties of the bioactive DP scaffolds, as well as differences arising due to different electrospinning parameters are studied. Emulsion electrospun DP scaffolds result in thinner fibers than pure DP scaffolds and experience decreased strain at break [%], but high enough for successful surgeon handling. PDGF-BB is released in a sustained manner from emulsion electrospun DP, but not completely, with still large amount of it being inside the polymeric fibers after 30 d. In vitro studies show that the bioactive scaffolds promote tenocyte proliferation in serum free and serum(+) conditions, demonstrating the potential of this surgeon-friendly bioactive delivery device to be used for tendon repair.

Nanofibrous Mineralized Electrospun Scaffold as a Substrate for Bone Tissue Regeneration.

Fibrous scaffolds that reconstruct the extracellular matrix (ECM) have been utilized for tissue regeneration demonstrated potential for guiding stem cell differentiation. Nanofibrous scaffolds fabricated by a unique electrospinning method enabled us to create tailored, functional scaffolds on-demand. Several patterned electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds were prepared, and then utilized for creating a hybrid composite in which bone-like hydroxyapatite (b-HA) was deposited onto the unique electrospun scaffolds. The mineral deposits onto the patterned PCL scaffolds was confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). When culturing human adipose-derived stem cells (hASC) onto the different SBF-treated electrospun PCL scaffolds, it was found that the hybrid composite can support hASC differentiated into osteoblasts under osteogenic differentiation conditions. Image analysis and alamar blue assay indicated a significant increase of hASC adhesion and proliferation on the SBF-treated PCL scaffolds. Subsequent analysis of osteogenic potential by via gene expression analysis and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity also demonstrated that the SBF-treated electrospun PCL made by the modified electrospinning process is more favorable for the osteogenic differentiation hASCs. Additionally, results of alizarin red S staining and ALP staining at days 7 and 14 showed improved deposition of mineralized matrix on the SBF-treated PCL. Therefore, this study indicates that the facile scaffold fabrication method described in this study is promising approach to prepare osteoconductive scaffold for bone tissue engineering.

Nanoporous Carbon Nanofibers Decorated with Platinum Nanoparticles for Non-Enzymatic Electrochemical Sensing of H2O2.

We describe the preparation of nanoporous carbon nanofibers (CNFs) decorated with platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) in this work by electrospining polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers and subsequent carbonization and binding of PtNPs. The fabricated nanoporous CNF-PtNP hybrids were further utilized to modify glass carbon electrodes and used for the non-enzymatic amperometric biosensor for the highly sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The morphologies of the fabricated nanoporous CNF-PtNP hybrids were observed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and their structure was further investigated with Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectrum. The cyclic voltammetry experiments indicate that CNF-PtNP modified electrodes have high electrocatalytic activity toward H2O2 and the chronoamperometry measurements illustrate that the fabricated biosensor has a high sensitivity for detecting H2O2. We anticipate that the strategies utilized in this work will not only guide the further design and fabrication of functional nanofiber-based biomaterials and nanodevices, but also extend the potential applications in energy storage, cytology, and tissue engineering.

Suspended, Shrinkage-Free, Electrospun PLGA Nanofibrous Scaffold for Skin Tissue Engineering.

Electrospinning is a technique for creating continuous nanofibrous networks that can architecturally be similar to the structure of extracellular matrix (ECM). However, the shrinkage of electrospun mats is unfavorable for the triggering of cell adhesion and further growth. In this work, electrospun PLGA nanofiber assemblies are utilized to create a scaffold. Aided by a polypropylene auxiliary supporter, the scaffold is able to maintain long-term integrity without dimensional shrinkage. This scaffold is also able to suspend in cell culture medium; hence, keratinocyte cells seeded on the scaffold are exposed to air as required in skin tissue engineering. Experiments also show that human skin keratinocytes can proliferate on the scaffold and infiltrate into the scaffold.