Novel Nanofibers Made of Chitosan/Hyaluronan Electrostatic Complex

Abstract

After preparation of pure chitosan nanofibers, development of electrospinning in our laboratory allowed to prepare new nanofibers made of hyaluronan (HA) and chitosan (CS) polyelectrolyte complex (PEC). It is the first time that such materials are produced taking advantage of the properties of these two important biological polymers. PEC fibers need to be stabilized by thermal treatment to enable their use as materials for biological applications. Spinnability of the blends and some physicochemical properties were evaluated as well as their mechanical properties under different fiber arrangement. Finally, the fibers were applied for chondrocyte development in view of tissue engineering.