Particle-coated electrospun scaffold: A semi-conductive drug eluted scaffold with layered fiber/particle arrangement.

In this study, an antibacterial fiber/particle scaffold with improved hydrophilicity has been fabricated. To this end, polyaniline (PANi)/polycaprolactone (PCL) was processed to fibers via electrospinning. Thereafter, ciprofloxacin was loaded in oxidized alginate/gelatin mixture. The mixture was then electrosprayed onto PANi-based fibers. After particle solidification, oxidized alginate and gelatin simultaneously were crosslinked and encapsulated the ciprofloxacin. The particle/fiber scaffold enabled controlled release of ciprofloxacin. Moreover, the scaffold offered a semi-conductive structure in which the conductive fibers were interrupted by insulating particles. The scaffold proved higher hydrophilicity, better cell adhesion and proliferation compared with the pristine fibers. Furthermore, the scaffold demonstrated extensive antibacterial activity against gram positive and gram negative bacteria tested. The construct with layered fiber/particle arrangement and benefited from electrical semi-conductivity, relevant surface hydrophilicity and controlled release of an antibacterial component can be a potent nerve tissue engineering scaffold. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 3248-3254, 2018.