Improvement of Biodegradable Gelatin Chip via Electrospinning with Ascorbic Acid

The electrospun gelatin fibers were prepared using ascorbic acid to solve the residual solvent management problem caused by use of acetic acid. In addition, chlorhexidine (CHX) was loaded to electrospun fibers, and this fiber was shaped to chip for the treatment of periodontal diseases as an application of the pharmaceutical field. The ascorbic acid aided electrospun gelatin chip containing chlorhexidine (AEGC-CHX), was confirmed to have fiber thickness of 3-4 μm through scanning electron microscope. Furthermore, the morphology on the surface of the chip was well maintained after shaping process. High performance liquid chromatography analysis for content of CHX and titration of ascorbic acid confirmed that both components were well incorporated into the gelatin fibers without any loss. To assess the potential application for periodontal disease treatment, the antimicrobial activity against two periodontal pathogens was investigated. AEGC-CHX demonstrated antimicrobial activity against two pathogens. The placebo chip also showed smaller zone of inhibition compared to AEGC-CHX, which was attributed to the pH lowering effect caused by ascorbic acid in the electrospun gelatin fibers. These results indicate that ascorbic acid functions well as a solubilizer, and suggest that AEGCCHX could be beneficial for the periodontal diseases.