Crosslinking of Gelatin in Bicomponent Electrospun Fibers

Four chemical crosslinking methods were used in order to prevent gelatin leaching in an aqueous environment, from bicomponent polycaprolactone/gelatin (PCL/Gt) nanofibers electrospun from an alternative solvent system. A range of different concentrations and reaction times were employed to compare genipin, 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N’-ethylcarbodimide hydrochloride/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS), 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDDGE), and transglutaminase. The objective was to optimize and find the most effective method in terms of reaction time and solution concentration, that at the same time provides satisfactory gelatin crosslinking degree and ensures good morphology of the fibers, even after 24 h in aqueous medium in 37 °C. The series of experiments demonstrated that, out of the four compared crosslinking methods, EDC/NHS was able to yield satisfactory results with the lowest concentrations and the shortest reaction times.