Tuning of the surface biological behavior of poly(L-lactide)-based electrospun materials by polyelectrolyte complex formation.

Poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(L-lactide)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PLLA/PEG) electrospun fibrous materials coated with a polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) were prepared. This was achieved by consecutive deposition of a layer of N-carboxyethylchitosan (CECh) and a layer of a double hydrophilic block copolymer, poly(ethylene oxide)-b-quaternized poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PEO-b-PDMAEMAQ100), resulting in PEC formation between the two polyelectrolytes on the surface. Noteworthy, to improve the water wettability of the electrospun PLLA fibrous materials, that is, to enable more uniform deposition of the polyelectrolyte partners, water/ethanol mixed solvent was used for preparation of CECh and PEO-b-PDMAEMAQ100 solutions.

Polyelectrolyte complexes based on (quaternized) poly[(2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]: behavior in contact with blood.

Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) between (quaternized) poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) and (crosslinked) N-carboxyethylchitosan (CECh) or poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sodium sulfonate) (PAMPSNa) were prepared and characterized in terms of their stability, equilibrium water content, and surface morphology. The evaluation of the behavior of the studied PECs in contact with blood revealed that the (crosslinked) CECh/(quaternized) PDMAEMA complexes had lost the inherent PDMAEMA cytotoxicity but still preserved haemostatic activity. In contrast, the complex formation between (quaternized) PDMAEMA and PAMPSNa allowed the preparation of materials with improved blood compatibility.

Polyelectrolyte complexes between (cross-linked) N-carboxyethylchitosan and (quaternized) poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]: preparation, characterization, and antibacterial properties.

Novel polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) between N-carboxyethylchitosan (CECh) and well-defined (quaternized) poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) have been obtained. The modification of chitosan into CECh allows the preparation of PECs in a pH range in which chitosan cannot form complexes. The CECh/PDMAEMA complex is formed in a narrow pH range around 7.