Abstract
Chitosan (CS) and carrageenan (CR) are natural polysaccharides with appealing biological properties, biocompatible, antibacterial, antifungal as well as biodegradable. Furthermore, CS and CR are abundant and can be obtained from animals and plants. Here, beaded CS/CR fibers were fabricated as a composite in 90% by volume of aqueous acetic acid solution via electrospinning method. To improve the existing features and generate new properties for the beaded CS/CR fiber, curcumin (Cur) molecule, a fluorescent compound was used as a model drug, added to the fiber precursor before electrospinning. The Cur release from beaded CS/CR-Cur fibers was investigated with spectroscopic methods, UV-Vis, and Fluorescence spectroscopy. The Cur release of the fibers was finished in 25 h with 22.0 +/- 1.1% of the loaded Cur measured by UV-Vis spectroscopy at 436 nm absorption wavelength and 32 h as 13.7 +/- 1.4% by Fluorescence spectroscopy (538 nm emission wavelength). Also, the beaded CS/CR-based fibers were examined for blood compatible with at 1.0 mg/mL concentration and found as 2.5 +/- 0.5% and 83.7 +/- 4.4% hemolysis and blood clotting capacity, respectively. Moreover, the antioxidant capability of beaded CS/CR-Cur fibers was determined as 110.3 +/- 0.9 mu g/mL by total flavonoid content (TFC) catechin equivalent, 152.4 +/- 5.3 mu g/mL by total phenol content (TPC) gallic acid equivalent, and lastly, 5.8 +/- 0.1 mM Trolox equivalent/g by TEAC tests. Anti-bacterial activity of beaded CS/CR-based fibers was also investigated and found that the highest zone inhibition diameter of 2.1 +/- 0.2 cm on E. coli and 1.6 +/- 0.5 cm on S. aureus bacteria.