Direct electrospinning of poly(vinyl butyral) onto human dermal fibroblasts using a portable device

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that uniform poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) fibres can be safely electrospun onto a monolayer of human dermal fibroblasts using a portable device. RESULTS: PVB in solvent mixtures containing various amounts of ethanol and water was electrospun. Six percent (weight-to-volume ratio) PVB in a 9:1 ethanol:water ratio was the solution with the highest content in water that could be electrospun into consistent fibres with an average diameter of 0.9 μm (± 0.1 μm). Four and five percent PVB solutions created beaded fibres. A 8:2 ethanol:water solution lead to microbead formation while a 7:3 ethanol:water mix failed to fully dissolve. The selected solution was successfully electrospun onto a monolayer of human dermal fibroblasts and the process had no significant effect (p < 0.05) on cell viability compared to the control without fibres. CONCLUSIONS: PVB–ethanol–water solutions could be electrospun without damaging the exposed cell layer. However, further work is required to demonstrate the long-term effect of PVB as a wound healing material.