For several decades, scientists have been developing a variety of biomolecules to promote cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, coagulation, hemostasis, and prevent infections in a wound healing environment. Through the electrospinning process, polymers including biomolecules can be spun to create non-woven nanofibrous scaffolds for wound healing. Biopolymers such as dermatan sulfate (DS), hyaluronic acid (HA), collagen, and the polysaccharide chitosan, are frequently utilized in wound healing to promote the cellular responses listed above. Given that these biopolymers are expensive to purchase or synthesize in short chains, research in our lab has focused on producing cost-effective biomimics of these polymers. Due to the role that natural polymers play in wound healing and the extracellular matrix, functional groups have been added to a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) backbone to mimic the most prominent moieties found in HA and DS to create a biomimetic PVA (bPVA) polymer. Our lab has prepared collagen and DS/HA biomimics via organic modifications on commercially available polymer backbones. The goal of this research is to improve upon the previous synthesis of the DS/HA biomimetic polymer and to test the effectiveness of these biomimics compared to the biopolymers mentioned above.<br/>In this project, we have optimized the parameters of the DS/HA biomimic synthesis to ensure an efficient addition of functional groups. Additionally, the response of cells to our collagen analog, biomimetic poly(acrylic acid), was compared to that of chitosan and collagen. Each of these polymers were electrospun with PVA as a copolymer as well as a cross-linking molecule to produce cross-linked unwoven mats. These mats as well as a commercially available collagen-based dressing were analyzed via a scratch assay, degradation study, and a cell viability and proliferation test. In the future, bPVA will be electrospun as a copolymer instead of commercial PVA to further increase cellular responses. It is anticipated that constructs made from these biomimetic polymers could provide low-cost materials for use in a variety of biomedical applications.

Biomimetic polymers as alternative nanofibrous wound dressings

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.