Evaluation of Aloe Vera Extract Loaded Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofiber Webs Obtained via Needleless Electrospinning
Aegean International Textile and Advanced Engineering Conference (AΙTAE 2018) 2018
Sandra Jēgina, Silvija Kukle, Jānis Grāvītis

Aloe vera is widely known for its health benefits. Since ancient times people used it topically to treat skin problems and ingested to heal digestive ills. Nowadays there are plenty of consumer products available in different forms- gels, creams, drinks etc. Although, there are concerns regarding possible toxicity of orally administrated aloe vera, the topical applications are considered as safe unless a person has allergic reaction to the plant itself. To improve topical effectiveness of the biologically active ingredients, researchers worldwide tested the possibility of integrating aloe vera extract in nanofibers. Electrospinning equipment with a syringe is the most common device mentioned in the published papers therefore in this work researchers used syringeless (needleless) electrospinning method (Nanospider™ LAB 200 (Elmarco, Czech Republic)) to evaluate differences in morphology, mechanical and bioactive properties of the nanofiber mats obtained by distinct techniques. Needleless electrospinning compared to the conventional syringe-based system has several advantages- high scalability, productivity, web and fiber diameter uniformity, wide choice of polymers and substrates, as well as economical operation and easy maintenance. Several samples of aloe vera extract and polyvinyl alcohol (81365 Aldrich Mowiol® 18-88 Mw ~130,000) were prepared using magnetic stirrer, both dissolved in distilled water. Electroconductivity and viscosity were measured before electrospinning as the both values show the possibility of obtaining nanofibers before the production. It is known that for the solution to be spinnable, viscosity value must be 100-2000 millipascal-seconds (mPa-s). Viscosity parameters of the spinning solutions were in the range from 429 to 549 mPas·s compared to pure 10% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)- 597 mPas·s and aloe vera extract (AV)- 0,7 mPas·s. Conductivity varied from 527 to 770 μS/cm (PVA- 390, AV- 1084 μS/cm) depending from AV wt% concentration. AV 15 wt% and PVA solution did not form quality web. Authors conclude that the ratio of conductivity 942 μS/cm and viscosity 395 mPas·s does not maintain the stability of production process. Morphology of the nanofiber mats was evaluated and fiber diameters measured on atomic force microscope Dimension Edge Veeco (Bruker, USA). 100 measurements of each sample were taken. The results show that the value of diameters tend to decrease with added AV concentration. While average diameter size of syringe electrospun nanofibers were 123 nanometers (10% PVA and 5% AV powder) [5] , 10% PVA and 10 wt% AV composite nanofibers obtained by needleless electrospinning have average value of 676 nanometers.


Atslēgas vārdi
needleless electrospinning, polyvinyl alcohol, aloe vera, nanomats
Hipersaite
http://www.aegeanconference.org/sites/default/files/AITAE%202018-6-SEPT-Posters-v2.pdf

Jēgina, S., Kukle, S., Grāvītis, J. Evaluation of Aloe Vera Extract Loaded Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofiber Webs Obtained via Needleless Electrospinning. No: Aegean International Textile and Advanced Engineering Conference (AΙTAE 2018), Grieķija, Mytilene, 5.-7. septembris, 2018. Mytilene: AITAE 2018, 2018, 5.-6.lpp.

Publikācijas valoda
English (en)
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