Marziyeh Ranjbar-Mohammadi

In this study three-dimensional biodegradable nanofibrous scaffolds containing poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and gum tragacanth (GT) were fabricated through two nozzles electrospinning process. GT as a natural biopolymer was used because of its biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxic nature, antimicrobial properties and natural availability in Iran. Aqueous solution of PVA/GT (blend ratio: 60:40) was injected from one syringe and PCL solution in chloroform/DMF solvent from the other one. For producing nanofibers, we used PVA in our formulation to improve the electrospinning process of GT solution and PCL for increasing mechanical properties of the fabricated nanofibers. The results of FTIR confirmed existence of three polymers in nanofiber composition. We used RSM methodology based on four-variables (feed rate PVA/GT, feed rate PCL, voltages and distance electrospinning) with three-levels for optimizing the average diameter of nanofibers and studying the effect of different parameters on the morphology of nanofibers. Our results showed that the diameter and uniformity of the nanofibers increased with increasing feed rate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that fabricated nanofiber with optimum diameter and morphology had a smooth and bead-less morphology with the diameter of 132nm. The three dimensional structure, good mechanical properties, together with proven biocompatibility and hydrophilic nature of fabricated nanofibers make them a promising candidate to be used as skin substitutes.