Bead-Free Electrospun Nanofibrous Scaffold Made of PVOH/Keratin/Chitosan Using a Box–Behnken Experimental Design and <i>In Vitro</i> Studies

Abstract

Bead-free nanofibrous scaffolds composed of PVOH/keratin/chitosan were prepared using electrospinning after optimising the process parameters using a Box–Behnken experimental design. Two quadratic models were developed to optimise the fibre diameter and the diameter of fibre beads considering the voltage, flow rate, spinning distance, and amount of biopolymer as independent variables. All independent variables were found to be significant in determining responses, although not all interactions among these were significant. The models were highly effective in describing responses, with an R2 of 98.58 and 99.67%. The optimum conditions were determined to be 15.82 kV voltage, 0.25 mL/h flow rate, 105 mm spinning distance, and 30% biopolymers. The accuracy of the models was verified and found to be within an acceptable range. The bead-free nanofibrous scaffold exhibited no cytotoxicity to Human Aneuploid Immortal Keratinocyte (HaCaT) and Normal Human Dermal Fibroblast (NHDF) cell lines, enabling cell adhesion and proliferation. Both cell lines remained attached with perfect cell morphology when co-cultured on the scaffold for 30 days, indicating the scaffold’s potential for biomedical applications.

Keywords

• biopolymers
• electrospinning
• keratin
• chitosan
• bead-free nanofibres
• scaffolds