Structure and Properties of Composite Fibers Based on Chitosan and Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

Elena N Dresvyanina; Nurjemal A Tagandurdyyeva; Vera V Kodolova-Chukhontseva; Irina P Dobrovol'skaya; Almaz M Kamalov; Yulia A Nashchekina; Alexey V Nashchekin; Alexey G Ivanov; Galina Yu Yukina; Vladimir E Yudin

doi:10.3390/polym15132860

Structure and Properties of Composite Fibers Based on Chitosan and Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

Polymers (Basel). 2023 Jun 28;15(13):2860. doi: 10.3390/polym15132860.

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Textile and Fashion, Saint Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design, B. Morskaya Str., 18, Saint Petersburg 191186, Russia.
² Institute of Biomedical Systems and Biotechnology, Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytekhnicheskaya Str., 29, Saint Petersburg 195251, Russia.
³ Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of Russian Academy of Sciences, VO Bolshoy pr., 31, Saint Petersburg 199004, Russia.
⁴ Institute of Cytology Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Ave., 4, Saint Petersburg 194064, Russia.
⁵ Ioffe Institute, Polytekhnicheskaya Str., 26, Saint Petersburg 194021, Russia.
⁶ Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University, L'va Tolstogo Str. 6-8, Saint Petersburg 197022, Russia.

Abstract

This study focused on a potential application of electrically conductive, biocompatible, bioresorbable fibers for tubular conduits aimed at the regeneration of peripheral nerves. The conducting, mechanical, and biological properties of composite fibers based on chitosan and single-walled carbon nanotubes were investigated in this paper. It was shown that introducing 0.5 wt.% of SWCNT into the composite fibers facilitated the formation of a denser fiber structure, resulting in improved strength (σ = 260 MPa) and elastic (E = 14 GPa) characteristics. Additionally, the composite fibers were found to be biocompatible and did not cause significant inflammation or deformation during in vivo studies. A thin layer of connective tissue formed around the fiber.

Keywords: chitosan; composites; peripheral nerve regeneration; single-wall carbon nanotubes; wet spinning.

Grants and funding

Agreement 075-15-2023-380 dated 20.02.2023/The research was funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation under the strategic academic leadership program "Priority 2030"