Preparation of Reductant-Responsive N-Maleoyl-Functional Chitosan/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Nanofibers for Drug Delivery

Chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) (CS/PVA) hybrid nanofibers via electrospinning have been extensively used as wound dressing materials. However, there are still several drawbacks associated with their processing procedures and material properties, including the necessity of using acid solutions as spinning solvents, the need of employing highly toxic cross-linkers, and the lack of stimuli-responsive functions. In this context, water-soluble N-maleoyl functional chitosan (MCS) was successfully synthesized and well characterized. Using neutral deionized water as a spinning solvent, MCS/PVA nanofibers were prepared via electrospinning under the optimal operating conditions. Instead of using conventional cross-linking methodologies, the MCS/PVA nanofibers were further cross-linked by UV-irradiation with allyl disulfide as a cross-linker. The resulting disulfide cross-linked MCS/PVA (ss-MCS/PVA) nanofibers have demonstrated great water stability, high water regain ability, insignificant cytotoxicity, and reductant-responsive functions. With a successful loading of an antibiotic tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) and those favorable material features, ss-MCS/PVA nanofibers are capable of being exploited as a potential wound dressing to promote the healing of various types of wounds.