Modification of bacterial cellulose/keratin nanofibrous mats by a tragacanth gum-conjugated hydrogel for wound healing

To enhance physicomechanical properties and bioactivity of fibrous membranes for wound dressing and tissue engineering applications, novel composite scaffolds consisting of fibrous mats and thermosensitive hydrogel particles were prepared by concurrent electrospinning and electrospraying technique. The composite scaffolds were composed of keratin/bacterial cellulose fibers (150 +/- 43 nm) which are hybridized with hydrogel particles (500 nm to 2 mu m) based on nonionic triblock copolymers conjugated with Tragacanth gum (TG). FTIR and H-NMR studies indicated ester reactions between carboxylated copolymers and TG through carbodiimide crosslinker chemistry. The hydrogel particles were uniformly embedded into fibrous network at fiber junctions without changing its porous structure and the fiber diameter. Modification of the fibers with the hydrogel nano particles significantly improved the hydrophilicity (similar to 23%), module of elasticity (similar to 31%), tensile strength (similar to 35%), and ductility (similar to 23%) of the electrospun scaffold. In vitro culturing of the mats with 1.929 fibroblast cells determined the biocompatibility of the fibrous composite along with improved cell adhesion and proliferation. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V.