Fabrication, characterization and cytocompatibility assessment of gelatin nanofibers coated with a polymer thin film by initiated chemical vapor deposition.

The presence of various functional groups in the structure of gelatin nanofibers (GNFs) has made it a suitable candidate for biomedical applications, yet its fast dissolution in aqueous media has been a real challenge for years. In the present work, we propose an efficient procedure to improve the durability of the GNFs. The electrospun GNFs were coated with poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (pEGDMA) using initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) as a completely dry polymerization method. Morphological and chemical analysis revealed that an ultrathin layer formed around nanofibers (iCVD-GNFs) which has covalently bonded to gelatin chains. Against the instant dissolution of GNFs, the in vitro biodegradability test showed the iCVD-GNFs, to a large extent, preserve their morphology after 14 days of immersion and did not lose its integrity even after 31 days. In vitro cell culture studies, also, revealed cytocompatibility of the iCVD-GNFs for human fibroblast cells (hFC), as well as higher cell proliferation on the iCVD-GNFs compared to control made from tissue culture plate (TCP). Furthermore, contact angle measurements indicated that the hydrophilic GNFs became hydrophobic after the iCVD, yet FE-SEM images of cell-seeded iCVD-GNFs showed satisfactory cell adhesion. Taken together, the proposed method paves a promising way for the production of water-resistant GNFs utilized in biomedical applications; for instance, tissue engineering scaffolds and wound dressings.