Fabrication of regenerated wool keratin/polycaprolactone nanofiber membranes for cell culture

Regenerated wool keratin is a promising natural material for tissue engineering. In the present study, l-cysteine redox method was performed to extract keratin from wool. Then the different ratios of keratins blended with polycaprolactone (PCL) in formic acid were electrospun to produce nanofibrous membrane. The morphology, biodegradation degree in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and cell culture were closely investigated. It is found that adding keratin to the PCL nanofiber can improve the hydrophilicity of the as-spun nanofiber mats and then promote the cell adhesion and proliferation of the composite nanofibrous mats. The nanofiber membrane with the highest hydrophilicity had the highest cellular compatibility.