Co-electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes of Collagen and Zein for Wound Healing

In recent years, electrospun polymeric nanofibers have been shown great potential as dressing materials for wound healing.Up to now, various biopolymers and their derivatives have been used widely for this purpose because of their biological origin, nontoxicity, hydrophilicity,

biocompatibility, biodegradability, and low cost.

However, single-component biopolymer solution is often insufficient for good electrospinnability or could not result in good fiber properties. In this work, this team attempt to develop biocompatible electrospun nanofibers for wound healing by coelectrospinning of collagen and zein in aqueous acetic acid solution. Collagen is one of the main proteins in the connective tissues and has been shown to have many advantageous features including biodegradability, weak antigenecity, and superior biocompatibility in medical applications.

It was found that the combination of zein could improve the electrospinnability of collagen. For the resultant electrospun membrane, its fiber diameter, surface wettability, mechanical, and in vitro degradable properties as well as cell adhesive ability could be modulated by the change of

collagen/zein blending ratio. Moreover, berberine drug could be incorporated in situ into the electrospun nanofibrous membrane for its controlled release and antibacterial activity. The addition of berberine showed little effects on the fiber morphology and cell viability. In addition, the wound healing performance of the as-obtained nanofibrous membranes was examined in vivo by using female Sprague−Dawley rats and histological observation.

Co-electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes of Collagen and Zein for Wound Healing

Jiantao Lin, Caihong Li, Yi Zhao, Jianchan Hu, and Li-Ming Zhang

DSAPM Lab and PCFM Lab, Institute of Polymer Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University,

Guangzhou 510275, China

Guangdong Medical College, Dongguan 523808, China

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