Magnesium oxide-poly(ε-caprolactone)-chitosan-based composite nanofiber for tissue engineering applications

Highlights: • Novel MgO-PCL-chitosan based composite nanofiber membranes were synthesized. • Ultimate tensile strength up to 3 MPa and Young's modulus up to 25 MPa obtained. • No cytotoxicity observed with 3T3 fibroblast cells. • Nanofibers showed uniform surface morphology, and structural integrity in cell media. - Abstract: The ability to produce composite nanofibers of inorganic particles and synthetic polymers represents a significant advancement in the development of composite materials for potential biomedical applications. In this study, composite nanofibers of magnesium oxide (MgO), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and chitosan (CS) with diameters in the range of 0.7–1.3 µm were fabricated by electrospinning their blend solutions in trifluroethanol and water. To support the potential use of these nanofibrous membranes for biomedical applications their physicochemical properties such as morphology, mechanical strength, and integrity in aqueous medium, were studied. Cellular compatibility was determined using cell viability assays and microscopy imaging, with the results showing that the nanofibrous membranes support 3T3 cell viability and attachments. The new composite nanofibrous membranes developed in this study have the ability to mimic the physical structure and function of tissue extracellular matrix (ECM) and thus have potential for many tissue engineering applications.