Sustainable poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan electrospun nanofibers and casted films with bioactive additives – comparative study on physicochemical properties and in vitro biological activity

Chitosan is a biocompatible and biodegradable polysaccharide with a plethora of biomedical and food applications. Its functionalization with additional biopolymers and bioadditives allows to modify its antimicrobial, mechanical and tribological properties, as well as cell proliferation. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the physicochemical properties and in vitro biological activity of poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan electrospun nanofibers and casted films with an addition of Rosa damascena and Rosa rugosa extracts, as well as gold nanoparticles. Poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan nanofibers and films were both electrospun and dry-casted with morphology, wettability, mechanical, thermal, antimicrobial properties, as well as cytotoxicity being examined. Specific attention has been drawn to the methodological approach on nanofiber electrospinning. Results showed data variabilities in wettability, mechanical and thermal properties were a matter of material fabrication technique, while those of swelling ability and degradation related to material composition. Antimicrobial activity, as well as lack of significant cytotoxicity were observed for both poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan nanofibers and films with an addition of rose extracts, as well as gold nanoparticles. Results reported in this study suggested poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan nanofibers and films with the investigated additives as promising biocompatible biomaterials with potential applications suggested such as external drug delivery in wound healing, topical therapies, biodegradable packings.