Photocrosslinked maleilated chitosan/methacrylated poly (vinyl alcohol) bicomponent nanofibrous scaffolds for use as potential wound dressings

To improve water stability of hydrophilic nanofibers, photocrosslinked maleilated chitosan/methacrylated poly (vinyl alcohol) (MCS/MPVA) bicomponent nanofibrous scaffolds were successfully obtained by electrospinning of aqueous MCS/MPVA solution and consequent photopolymerization. The parameters of MCS/MPVA solutions such as viscosity and conductivity were measured to evaluate electrospinnability of the blend solutions. The bicomponent nanofibrous scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. SEM results indicated that MCS/MPVA weight ratios significantly influenced the morphology and diameter distribution of the nanofibers. XRD and DSC investigated that there was strong interaction caused by hydrogen bonding between molecular chain of MCS and MPVA. Water stability test confirmed that the photocrosslinked matrix with a MCS/MPVA ratio of 10/90 retained excellent integrity of the fibrous structure in water. The in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation revealed that photocrosslinked nanofibrous scaffolds entailed good cellular compatibility, and could be used as potential wound dressing.