Chitosan Oligomer Mono-coated and Multi-coated Nanofibrous Polycaprolactone Toward the Characterization of Mechanical Strength for Wound Dressing Application

Abstract

Chitosan oligomer (OCS) captured much attention for diverse applications in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. In this study, OCS, as an antimicrobial agent, was coated onto dressing based electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) membrane to enhance the bio-function and physical properties of materials. The various content of the OCS coating layer in terms of concentration (2, 4, 8, 16%) or coating times (1, 3, and 6 times) was concerned in this study. A Fourier-transform infrared was used to analyze the functional structure OCS derived from chitosan. Agar diffusion test was performed to pretest the antibacterial ability of OCS coating solution with gram-positive (S. aureus) and gram-negative (P. aeruginosa). The morphology and physical strength of PCL membranes and OCS coating layer were observed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and the uniaxial tension, respectively. From the agar diffusion test, OCS with a low concentration (2%) inhibited both mentioned pathogens. SEM evaluation displayed the irregular surface by the OCS multi-coating layer, while smoother morphology by one-layer coating with high OCS concentration. In the physical test, the membrane became more inflexible as the higher OCS content in both the coating method as the different mechanical strength between PCL substrate and OCS coating film.