Extraction of γ-chitosan from insects and fabrication of PVA/γ-chitosan/kaolin nanofiber wound dressings with hemostatic properties

Abstract

A nanofiber-based composite nonwoven fabric was fabricated for hemostatic wound dressing, integrating polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), kaolin, and γ-chitosan extracted from three type of insects. The γ-chitosan extracted from Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis exhibited the highest yield at 21.5%, and demonstrated the highest moisture-binding capacity at 535.6%. In the fabrication process of PVA/kaolin/γ-chitosan nonwoven fabrics, an electrospinning technique with needle-less and mobile spinneret was utilized, producing nanofibers with average diameters ranging from 172 to 277 nm. The PVA/kaolin/γ-chitosan nonwoven fabrics demonstrated enhanced biocompatibility, with cell survival rates under certain compositions reaching up to 86.9% (compared to 74.2% for PVA). Furthermore, the optimized fabric compositions reduced blood coagulation time by approximately 2.5-fold compared to PVA alone, highlighting their efficacy in hemostasis. In other words, the produced PVA/kaolin/γ-chitosan nonwoven fabrics offer potential applications as hemostatic wound dressings with excellent biocompatibility and improved hemostatic performance.

Keywords: Electrospinning; Hemostasis; Kaolin; Oral wound dressing; Polyvinyl alcohol; γ-chitosan.

Fig. 1

Electrospinning device equipped with needle-less and mobile spinneret

Fig. 2

Fourier transformed infrared spectra of α-chitosan and γ-chitosan

Fig. 3

Two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray diffraction spectra of α-chitosan and γ-chitosan

Fig. 4

SEM images of PVA/kaolin/γ-chitosan nonwoven nanofabrics

Fig. 5

Thermogravimetric curves of PVA/kaolin/γ-chitosan nonwoven nanofabrics

Fig. 6

Cell viability of PVA/kaolin/γ-chitosan nonwoven nanofabrics after 24 h of incubation

Fig. 7

Blood clotting time of PVA/kaolin/γ-chitosan nonwoven nanofabrics