Enhancing electrospun scaffolds of PVP with polypyrrole/iodine for tissue engineering of skin regeneration by coating via a plasma process

Electrospun scaffolds of biopolymers have been used in skin tissue engineering to develop and create artificial skin tissue for replacement dermal substitutes. Moreover, electrospun scaffolds are used to improve wound dressing for assisting the wound healing process. We focus on the polypyrrole/iodine coating viability and observe the cultures of human epidermal keratinocytes (HaCaT) responding to improve scaffolds for skin tissue engineering. For this purpose, polyvinylpyrrolidone polymer was used as a polymer matrix. The FE-SEM analysis showed the morphologies obtained (fibers and spheres) by the different solvents used in polyvinylpyrrolidone solutions due to the polarity of the solvents. The polyvinylpyrrolidone fibers have an average diameter of 135.6 nm ± 1.4 nm, and polyvinylpyrrolidone spheres have diameters of 1.01–1.6 µm. Elemental analysis showed the incorporation of polypyrrole/iodine on polyvinylpyrrolidone scaffolds. An XRD study displayed the amorphous structure of polyvinylpyrrolidone fibers and spheres. Using FTIR, it was possible to identify the functional groups representative of polyvinylpyrrolidone, and the presence of the coating of polypyrrole was demonstrated. Polypyrrole/iodine proved to be a scaffolding with an optimal coating for the cellular growth of HaCaT cells, increasing viability, adhesion, and cell healing.