Biocompatible poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds fabricated via electrospinning are having promising properties as implants for the regeneration of fast-growing tissues, which are able to degrade in the body. The hereby-presented research work investigates the surface modification of these scaffolds in order to improve antibacterial properties of this type of scaffolds, as it can increase their application possibilities in medicine. Therefore, the scaffolds were surface-modified by means of pulsed direct current magnetron co-sputtering of copper and titanium targets in an inert atmosphere of argon. In order to obtain different amounts of copper and titanium in the resulting coatings, three different surface-modified scaffold samples were produced by changing the magnetron sputtering process parameters. The success of the antibacterial properties’ improvement was tested with the methicillin-resistant bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the resulting cell toxicity of the surface modification by copper and titanium was examined using mouse embryonic and human gingival fibroblasts. As a result, the scaffold samples surface-modified with the highest copper to titanium ratio show the best antibacterial properties and no toxicity against mouse fibroblasts, but have a toxic effect to human gingival fibroblasts. The scaffold samples with the lowest copper to titanium ratio display no antibacterial effect and toxicity. The optimal poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffold sample is surface-modified with a medium ratio of copper and titanium that has antibacterial properties and is non-toxic to both cell cultures.

There is currently a demand for anti-adhesive materials that are capable of preventing the formation of intra-abdominal adhesions. In this study, electrospun poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds were dip-coated in aqueous solutions of polyvinyl alcohol with concentrations of 3 wt.%, 6 wt.% and 9 wt.% to obtain a nontoxic and anti-adhesive biomedical material. The viscosities of the applied 3 wt.%, 6 wt.% and 9 wt.% polyvinyl alcohol solutions were 7.7 mPa∙s, 38.2 mPa∙s and 180.8 mPa∙s, respectively, and increased exponentially. It is shown that increasing the viscosity of the polyvinyl alcohol solution from 6 wt.% to 9 wt.% increases the thickness of the polyvinyl alcohol layer from (3.32 ± 0.97) µm to (8.09 ± 1.43) µm. No pronounced polyvinyl alcohol layer can be observed on samples dip-coated in 3 wt.% PVA solution. Increasing the viscosity of the polyvinyl alcohol solution from 3 wt.% to 9 wt.% increases the mechanical properties of the poly(lactide-co-glycolide) samples by a factor of 1.16–1.45. Cytotoxicity analysis of all samples reveals that none is toxic to 3T3-L1 fibroblast cells. A cell adhesion assay indicates that the anti-adhesion properties increase with increasing viscosity of the polyvinyl alcohol solution and the thickness of the polyvinyl alcohol layer on the poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds. Fluorescence images of the cells show that as the thickness of the polyvinyl alcohol coating increases, the number of cells decreases, and they do not cover the surface of the samples and form spherical three-dimensional agglomerates. The highest mechanical and anti-adhesion properties are obtained with the poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffold sample dip-coated in the 9 wt.% polyvinyl alcohol solution. This is because this sample has the thickest polyvinyl alcohol coating.

Background/Objectives: Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have recently gained attention for their antimicrobial properties, particularly because they target both planktonic bacteria and biofilms. Among these, DESs based on α-hydroxy acids (αHAs) are of interest due to their inherent antibacterial properties and favorable biocompatibility. However, effects of the αHA molecular structure and hydrogen bonding ability within a DES formulation on biological activity has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Methods: This study systematically investigates DESs formed by combining glycolic acid, lactic acid or tartaric acid with either choline chloride or tetraethylammonium chloride. Results: All DESs demonstrate broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and effectively inhibit biofilm formation while exhibiting low cytotoxicity toward 3T3-L1 fibroblasts. Conclusions: DES formation enhances antibacterial efficacy while attenuating cytotoxicity compared to the individual components, thereby decoupling bactericidal activity from toxicity. Physicochemical characterization confirms the formation of a eutectic phase and reveals that biological activity is primarily governed by acidity rather than by the specific αHA structure or eutectic strength. These results provide new insights into structure-function relationships in DESs and establish a design strategy for biocompatible, non-cytotoxic antimicrobial agents.

In this work, the effects of weight concentration on the properties of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) polymeric scaffolds prepared by electrospinning are investigated, using four different weight concentrations of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) for the electrospinning solutions (2, 3, 4, 5 wt.%). With increasing concentration of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) in the electrospinning solutions, their viscosity increases significantly. The average fiber diameter of the scaffolds also increases with increasing concentration. Moreover, the tensile strength and maximum elongation at break of the scaffold increase with increasing electrospinning concentration. The prepared scaffolds have hydrophobic properties and their wetting angle does not change with the concentration of the electrospinning solution. All poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds are non-toxic toward fibroblasts of the cell line 3T3-L1, with the highest numbers of cells observed on the surface of scaffolds prepared from the 2-, 3- and 4-wt.% electrospinning solutions. The results of the analysis of mechanical and biological properties indicate that the poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds prepared from the 4 wt.% electrospinning solution have optimal properties for future applications in skin tissue engineering. This is due to the fact that the poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds prepared from the 2 wt.% and 3 wt.% electrospinning solution exhibit low mechanical properties, and 5 wt.% have the lowest porosity values, which might be the cause of their lowest biological properties.

In this study, polymer scaffolds were fabricated from biodegradable poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and from non-biodegradable vinylidene fluoride-tetrafluoroethylene (VDF-TeFE) by electrospinning. These polymer scaffolds were subsequently surface-modified by sputtering titanium targets in an argon atmosphere. Direct current pulsed magnetron sputtering was applied to prevent a significant influence of discharge plasma on the morphology and mechanical properties of the nonwoven polymer scaffolds. The scaffolds with initially hydrophobic properties show higher hydrophilicity and absorbing properties after surface modification with titanium. The surface modification by titanium significantly increases the cell adhesion of both the biodegradable and the non-biodegradable scaffolds. Immunocytochemistry investigations of human gingival fibroblast cells on the surface-modified scaffolds indicate that a PLGA scaffold exhibits higher cell adhesion than a VDF-TeFE scaffold.