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Mohan Prasath Mani,1,2 Hemanth Ponnambalath Mohanadas,3 Ahmad Athif Mohd Faudzi,4,5 Ahmad Fauzi Ismail,6 Nick Tucker,7 Shahrol Mohamaddan,8 Manikandan Ayyar,9 Tamilselvam Palanisamy,1 Rajasekar Rathanasamy,10 Saravana Kumar Jaganathan11– 13 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, SNS College of Technology, Coimbatore, TN, India; 2School of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, JB, Malaysia; 3Device Development Group, New Product Research and Development, Abbott Diabetes Care, Alameda, CA, USA; 4School of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, UniversitiTeknologi Malaysia, Skudai, JB, Malaysia; 5Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, SG, Malaysia; 6Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, JB, Malaysia; 7School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, College of Health and Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, LS, UK; 8Innovative Global ProgramCollege of Engineering Shibaura Institute of Technology Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; 9Department of Chemistry, Centre for Materials Chemistry, Karapagam Acdemy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, TN, India; 10Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Perunduari, TN, India; 11Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam; 12School of Engineering & Technology, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam; 13Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, College of Health and Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, LS, UKCorrespondence: Saravana Kumar Jaganathan, Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam, Email jaganathansaravanakumar@dtu.edu.vn; sjaganathan@lincoln.ac.ukPurpose: Wound patches are essential for wound healing, yet developing patches with enhanced mechanical and biological properties remains challenging. This study aimed to enhance the mechanical and biological properties of polyurethane (PU) by incorporating magnesium chloride (MgCl2) into the patch.Methodology: The composite patch was fabricated using the electrospinning technique, producing nanofibers from a mixture of PU and MgCl2 solutions. The electrospun PU/MgCl2 was then evaluated for various physico-chemical characteristics and biological properties to determine its suitability for wound healing applications.Results: Tensile strength testing showed that the mechanical properties of the composite patch (10.98 ± 0.18) were significantly improved compared to pristine PU (6.66 ± 0.44). Field scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) revealed that the electrospun nanofiber patch had a smooth, randomly oriented non-woven structure (PU – 830 ± 145 nm and PU/MgCl2 – 508 ± 151 nm). Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed magnesium chloride’s presence in the polyurethane matrix via strong hydrogen bond formation. Blood compatibility studies using coagulation assays, including activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and hemolysis assays, demonstrated improved blood compatibility of the composite patch (APTT – 174 ± 0.5 s, PT – 91 ± 0.8s, and Hemolytic percentage – 1.78%) compared to pristine PU (APTT – 152 ± 1.2s, PT – 73 ± 1.7s, and Hemolytic percentage – 2.55%). Antimicrobial testing showed an enhanced zone of inhibition (Staphylococcus aureus – 21.5 ± 0.5 mm and Escherichia coli – 27.5 ± 2.5 mm) compared to the control, while cell viability assays confirmed the non-cytotoxic nature of the developed patches on fibroblast cells.Conclusion: The study concludes that adding MgCl2 to PU significantly improves the mechanical, biological, and biocompatibility properties of the patch. This composite patch shows potential for future wound healing applications, with further studies needed to validate its efficacy in-vivo.Keywords: wound dressings, polyurethane, MgCl2, biomaterial, nanofibers

Haoli Jiang,1 Mohan Prasath Mani,2 Saravana Kumar Jaganathan3–6 1Orthopaedics Department, The Third People’s Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518114, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Malaysia; 3Department for Management of Science and Technology Development, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 4Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 5IJNUTM Cardiovascular Engineering Center, School of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Malaysia; 6Department of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UKCorrespondence: Saravana Kumar JaganathanDepartment for Management of Science and Technology Development, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamTel +84 28837755037Email saravana@tdtu.edu.vnIntroduction: Recently several new approaches were emerging in bone tissue engineering to develop a substitute for remodelling the damaged tissue. In order to resemble the native extracellular matrix (ECM) of the human tissue, the bone scaffolds must possess necessary requirements like large surface area, interconnected pores and sufficient mechanical strength.Materials and methods: A novel bone scaffold has been developed using polyurethane (PE) added with wintergreen (WG) and titanium dioxide (TiO2). The developed nanocomposites were characterized through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), contact angle measurement, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and tensile testing. Furthermore, anticoagulant assays, cell viability analysis and calcium deposition were used to investigate the biological properties of the prepared hybrid nanocomposites.Results: FESEM depicted the reduced fibre diameter for the electrospun PE/WG and PE/WG/TiO2 than the pristine PE. The addition of WG and TiO2 resulted in the alteration in peak intensity of PE as revealed in the FTIR. Wettability measurements showed the PE/WG showed decreased wettability and the PE/WG/TiO2 exhibited improved wettability than the pristine PE. TGA measurements showed the improved thermal behaviour for the PE with the addition of WG and TiO2. Surface analysis indicated that the composite has a smoother surface rather than the pristine PE. Further, the incorporation of WG and TiO2 improved the anticoagulant nature of the pristine PE. In vitro cytotoxicity assay has been performed using fibroblast cells which revealed that the electrospun composites showed good cell attachment and proliferation after 5 days. Moreover, the bone apatite formation study revealed the enhanced deposition of calcium content in the fabricated composites than the pristine PE.Conclusion: Fabricated nanocomposites rendered improved physico-chemical properties, biocompatibility and calcium deposition which are conducive for bone tissue engineering.Keywords: polymer, TiO2/wintergreen, surface properties, apatite formation, tissue engineering

Jie Qi,1,* Huang Zhang,2,* Yingzhou Wang,3 Mohan Prasath Mani,4 Saravana Kumar Jaganathan5–7 1Department of Orthopedics, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, 2Department of Orthopedics, Han Zhong People’s Hospital, Han Zhong, Shaanxi Province, 3Beijing Meinuoyikang Health Food Co., Ltd, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 4Faculty of Biosciences and Medical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia; 5Department for Management of Science and Technology Development, 6Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 7IJN-UTM Cardiovascular Engineering Centre, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences and Medical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia *These authors contributed equally to this work Introduction: Currently, the design of extracellular matrix (ECM) with nanoscale properties in bone tissue engineering is challenging. For bone tissue engineering, the ECM must have certain properties such as being nontoxic, highly porous, and should not cause foreign body reactions. Materials and methods: In this study, the hybrid scaffold based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blended with metallocene polyethylene (mPE) and plectranthus amboinicus (PA) was fabricated for bone tissue engineering via electrospinning. The fabricated hybrid nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), contact angle measurement, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Furthermore, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and hemolytic assays were used to investigate the blood compatibility of the prepared hybrid nanocomposites. Results: The prepared hybrid nanocomposites showed reduced fiber diameter (238±45 nm) and also increased porosity (87%) with decreased pore diameter (340±86 nm) compared with pure PVA. The interactions between PVA, mPE, and PA were identified by the formation of the additional peaks as revealed in FTIR. Furthermore, the prepared hybrid nanocomposites showed a decreased contact angle of 51°±1.32° indicating a hydrophilic nature and exhibited lower thermal stability compared to pristine PVA. Moreover, the mechanical results revealed that the electrospun scaffold showed an improved tensile strength of 3.55±0.29 MPa compared with the pristine PVA (1.8±0.52 MPa). The prepared hybrid nanocomposites showed delayed blood clotting as noted in APTT and PT assays indicating better blood compatibility. Moreover, the hemolysis assay revealed that the hybrid nanocomposites exhibited a low hemolytic index of 0.6% compared with pure PVA, which was 1.6% suggesting the safety of the developed nanocomposite to red blood cells (RBCs). Conclusion: The prepared nanocomposites exhibited better physico-chemical properties, sufficient porosity, mechanical strength, and blood compatibility, which favors it as a valuable candidate in bone tissue engineering for repairing the bone defects. Keywords: scaffold, electrospinning, bone tissue engineering, physico-chemical characterization, blood compatibility