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- Title
Keratin/Copper Complex Electrospun Nanofibers for Antibacterial Treatments: Property Investigation and In Vitro Response.
- Authors
Tummino, Maria Laura; Cruz-Maya, Iriczalli; Varesano, Alessio; Vineis, Claudia; Guarino, Vincenzo
- Abstract
The frontiers of antibacterial materials in the biomedical field are constantly evolving since infectious diseases are a continuous threat to human health. In this work, waste-wool-derived keratin electrospun nanofibers were blended with copper by an optimized impregnation procedure to fabricate antibacterial membranes with intrinsic biological activity, excellent degradability and good cytocompatibility. The keratin/copper complex electrospun nanofibers were multi-analytically characterized and the main differences in their physical–chemical features were related to the crosslinking effect caused by Cu2+. Indeed, copper ions modified the thermal profiles, improving the thermal stability (evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry), and changed the infrared vibrational features (determined by infrared spectroscopy) and the chemical composition (studied by an X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy probe and optical emission spectrometry). The copper impregnation process also affected the morphology, leading to partial nanofiber swelling, as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy analyses. Then, the membranes were successfully tested as antibacterial materials against gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli. Regarding cytocompatibility, in vitro assays performed with L929 cells showed good levels of cell adhesion and proliferation (XTT assay), and no significant cytotoxic effect, in comparison to bare keratin nanofibers. Given these results, the material described in this work can be suitable for use as antibiotic-free fibers for skin wound dressing or membranes for guided tissue regeneration.
- Subjects
KERATIN; COPPER compounds; GUIDED tissue regeneration; OPTICAL spectroscopy; DIFFERENTIAL scanning calorimetry; POLYMER liquid crystals; INDUCTIVELY coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry; NANOFIBERS
- Publication
Materials (1996-1944), 2024, Vol 17, Issue 10, p2435
- ISSN
1996-1944
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/ma17102435