Preparation of chitosan-containing nanofibres by electrospinning of chitosan/poly(ethylene oxide) blend solutions

Abstract

The first successful preparation of chitosan-containing nanofibres was achieved by electrospinning of chitosan/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) blend aqueous solutions. The diameters of the nanofibres were in the range 40 - 290 nm and decreased with increasing chitosan content and decreasing total concentration. An increase of the applied field strength leads to an increase of the diameter of the nanofibres and to a broadening of the size distribution. The possibility to prepare nanofibres containing a model drug - potassium 5-nitro-8- quinolinolate (K5N8Q), a broad-spectrum antimicrobial and antimycotic agent - was shown. The incorporation of K5N8Q in the nanofibres resulted in a decrease of the nanofibre diameters and the appearance of bead-shaped defects. Non-woven mats from the drug-loaded nanofibres with composition chitosan: PEO = 1:1 (w/w) and 1% K5N8Q showed antibacterial and antimycotic activity against E. coli, S. aureus and C. albicans.