Biocompatibility of nanofibrous cellulose prepared by wet-type electrospinning

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a lot of interest in the production of cellulose structures with superior characteristics. The fabrication of regenerated nanofibrous cellulose from ionic liquid (ILs) solutions is among such production methods [1]. Such cellulose fibres are highly sought-after in the biomedical field because of its biodegradability, biocompatibility, and large surface area [2]. The present research demonstrates a successful dissolution of cellulose by means of IL 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (BMIMAc), combined with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a co-solvent. The resulting solution was electrospun using a wet-type electrospinning apparatus and the smooth cellulose matrix consisting of nanofibres were obtained. The addition of a co-solvent during the solution preparation stage led to the generation of solutions that demonstrated enhanced uniformity, reduced viscosity, and increased electrical conductivity. As a consequence of that, the electrospinning process and the morphology of nanofibrous matrix were improved. The research determined that the most favorable proportion of solvent/co-solvent is 1:1. Under these circumstances the resulting electrospun cellulose matrices exhibit smooth structure and comprise cylinder type fibres. The inclusion of the co-solvent did not result in chemical alterations of cellulose. The fibrous matrix subjected to in vitro cytotoxicity assay using mouse fibroblast L929 and cell proliferation tests using human triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell lines. The results showed that the regenerated cellulose matrix did not possess significant cytotoxicity, and supported cell growth during 7 day period. Such results encourage the exploration of cellulose matrices for a further research and potential applications in biomedical fields.