Physiochemical and Mechanical Evaluations of Electrospun PLA/Microporgonias Undulatus- Gelatin Fibres for Wound Dressing Applications

The poor performance of neat polylactic acid (PLA) and gelatin has driven the development of co- electrospun composites in biomaterials to achieve enhanced functional properties. In this study gelatin extracted from Crocker fish scale was co-electrospin with PLA. The composite fibres were fabricated at 2-17 wt.% gelatin. The electrospun fibres were evaluated via scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning microscopy (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Tensile test. FTIR analysis of PLA/gelatin fibres showed a peak growth at 1525cm-1 and a shift in the amide III band from 1239 cm-1 to 1192cm-1, indicating hydrogen bonding and chemical interaction between PLA and gelatin. The thermogram of the PLA/gelatin scaffold revealed an enhanced thermal stability with peak thermal stability (324oC) attained at 14 wt.% Gelatin. The DSC further confirms the interaction of PLA (Tg 75 OC) and gelatin (49 OC), forming a single glass transition temperature (Tg) at 70 OC. There was a slight increase in Tg of the composite fibres as the wight fraction of the gelatin increased. The SEM showed a good morphology resembling the native extracellular matrix (ECM) of the body. The ultimate tensile strength and percentage elongation of the fibres declined with increasing gelatin content. The introduction of this gelatin into PLA resulted in improved physiochemical properties of PLA/gelatin fibres due to chemical interaction. Thus, this composite fibre could serve as a potential wound dressing material.