Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA)/Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) Biohybrid Nanofibers Coated with a Biomineralized Calcium Deficient Hydroxyapatite (HA) Shell for Wound Dressing

Here, for the first time, a nanofibrous (NF) wound dressing is developed based on biomineralized polyacrylonitrile<br> (PAN) nanofibers. In contrast to the majority of the currently available nanofibrous wound dressings that are based on<br> natural polymers, PAN employed in this study is a synthetic, industrial polymer that has rarely been considered for this<br> purpose. PAN NFs are first hydrolyzed to allow for tethering of biofunctional agents (here Bovine Serum Albumin<br> (BSA)). Later, the biofunctionlized PAN NFs are induced to biomineralize by immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF).<br> As a result, core-shell, calcium deficient hydroxyapatite (HA)/BSA/PAN nanofibers form, that are larger in<br> diameter (318 vs. 298 nm) and mechanically stronger (elastic modulus; 8.5 vs. 6 MPa) compared to the untreated PAN<br> NFs. The biomineralized PAN NFs showed promising bioactivity as reflected in the cell biology tests with fibroblast and<br> keratinocyte cells. Hs68 fibroblasts and HaCat keratinocytes were found to be more viable in the presence of the<br> biomineralized NFs than when they were co-cultured with the neat PAN NFs. Such mechanical and biological<br> characteristics of the novel PAN NFs are favorable for wound dressing applications. More importantly, given the simple<br> and cost-effective surface treatment approach presented here and the widely available knowledge for large scale,<br> industrial processing of PAN, the present nanofibrous material holds promise for medical translation and further<br> investigations leading to commercialization strategies.