Current biomaterials used in wound treatment include collagen, a naturally occurring protein found in the body, and chitosan, a deactylated derivative of chitin. Cotton gauze, which is the common method of wound treatment, is known to create a secondary injury upon removal from the wound. The products of collagen and chitosan based electrospun materials have exhibited favorable conditions for prevention of infection, stimulation of cell growth, and a lower probability of secondary injury. Electrospun materials are able to conform to many different shapes and sizes due to its non-woven scaffold-like structure. Collagen has many advantages in biomedical applications as it is biocompatible, biodegradable, and weakly antigenic. Collagen has also been known to stimulate new tissue growth, promote angiogenesis, and epithelization. Chitosan is an excellent natural polymer to utilize in new wound dressing, as its cationic nature destabilizes the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. While chitosan is a cost-effective material, collagen is very expensive. The main objective of this project is to further the investigation of a cost-effective synthetic collagen analog through electrospinning an alternative wound dressing and utilizing the biomimic in a variety of cell studies.<br/>Our lab has produced a collagen mimic through the modification of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) via amide coupling which was analyzed via nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This biomimetic poly(acrylic acid) (bPAA), was electrospun with chitosan and the co-polymer poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to produce fiber mats that were used for in vitro studies using NIH 3T3 cells. Additional mats containing chitosan or collagen and PVA were also prepared and a commercially available collagen wound dressing was used as a control. Each mat type was analyzed in scratch test assays. Different compositions of fiber mats were placed in a synthetic wound environment via a cell proliferation and migration study to test the fiber mat’s healing properties. In the future, these mats will be examined through cell viability and proliferation tests, and in vitro degradation studies. These results can be compared to those of collagen containing mats analyzed in the same manner. It is anticipated that these results and products will help develop a wound dressing similar to the extracellular matrix in a cost effective manner while expanding the horizons or polymer and biomedical research.

Biomimetic poly (acrylic acid) fiber scaffolds for medical applications

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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