Effect of Electrospinning Parameters on the Fiber Diameter and Morphology of PLGA Nanofibers

BACKGROUND: Poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) has been widely investigated for various biomedical applications, such as craniofacial bone regeneration, wound dressing and tissue engineering. Electrospinning is a versatile technology used to produce micro/nanoscale fibers with large specific surface area and high porosity. PURPOSE: The aim of the current study is to prepare PLGA nanofibers using electrospinning for guided tissue regeneration/guided bone regeneration applications. The objective of this study is to determine the appropriate electrospinning parameters such as applied voltage, flow rate, spinneret-collector distance and polymer solution concentration for preparation of PLGA fibrous membrane and their effect on the mean fiber diameter of the electrospun fibers. METHOD: PLGA pellets were dissolved in Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) in various concentrations overnight using a bench rocker. The resulting PLGA solution was then loaded into a syringe and electrospinning was done by maintaining the other parameters constant. Similarly, various fibrous mats were collected by altering the specific electrospinning parameter inputs such as applied voltage, flow rate and spinneret-collector distance. The morphology of the fibrous mats was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscope. The mean fiber diameter was assessed using ImageJ software and the results were compared using one-way ANOVA. RESULTS: We obtained bead-free uniform fibers with various tested solution concentrations. One-way ANOVA analysis demonstrated significant variation in mean fiber diameter of the electrospun fibers with altering applied voltage, solution concentration, flow rate and spinneret-collector distance. CONCLUSION: The above-mentioned electrospinning parameters and solution concentration influence the mean fiber diameter of electrospun PLGA nanofibers.