Biofunctionalized nanofibers using Arthrospira (Spirulina) biomass and biopolymer.

Electrospun nanofibers composed of polymers have been extensively researched because of their scientific and technical applications. Commercially available polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHB-HV) copolymers are good choices for such nanofibers. We used a highly integrated method, by adjusting the properties of the spinning solutions, where the cyanophyte Arthrospira (formally Spirulina) was the single source for nanofiber biofunctionalization. We investigated nanofibers using PHB extracted from Spirulina and the bacteria Cupriavidus necator and compared the nanofibers to those made from commercially available PHB and PHB-HV. Our study assessed nanofiber formation and their selected thermal, mechanical, and optical properties. We found that nanofibers produced from Spirulina PHB and biofunctionalized with Spirulina biomass exhibited properties which were equal to or better than nanofibers made with commercially available PHB or PHB-HV. Our methodology is highly promising for nanofiber production and biofunctionalization and can be used in many industrial and life science applications.

Preparation of nanofibers containing the microalga Spirulina (Arthrospira).

Spirulina is a microalga which offers biological functions highly favorable for tissue engineering. Highly porous scaffolds can be produced by electrospinning containing biomass of Spirulina. The goal of this contribution was therefore to establish spinning conditions allowing to produce well defined nanofibers with diameters down to about 100 nm and to produce nanofibers with various concentration of the biomass for subsequent studies in tissue engineering applications. The experimental results reveal that the blend system PEO/biomass is behaved surprisingly well in electrospinning. Very thin bead-free nanofibers with diameters of about 110 nm can be produced for different biomass contents of up to 67 wt.% of the nanofibers and for PEO concentrations in the spinning solution well below 4 wt.%. These results suggest to us the use of the biomass containing nanofibers as extracellular matrices for stem cell culture and future treatment of spinal chord injury.