a) Biochemistry Research Division, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl Ganesa no. 10 Bandung 40132, Indonesia
*rhertadi[at]itb.ac.id
b) Research Unit for Clean Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jl. Sangkuriang, Kompleks LIPI Bandung 40132, Indonesia
c) Research Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Traditional Medicine, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jl PUSPITEK Serpong Gate, Muncul, Kec. Serpong, Tangerang Selatan 15314, Indonesia
Abstract
The failure to synthesise levan fiber with mechanical properties that match those of soft tissue requires an exploration into its fabrication. In this study, polyvinyl alcohol was used as a fiber-forming polymer for levan-lsbl-bk1 to produce fine electrospun fibers with the desired properties. The resulting fibers were physically crosslinked through heat treatment to improve their water resistance, and their chemical characteristics, crystallinity, morphology, and mechanical properties were identified. The diameters of the fibers ranged from 194.7-343.0 nm, with changes to the levan concentration affecting the fiber diameter and crystallinity. Furthermore, the tensile strength of the fibers decreased as the diameter increased, and the elastic modulus increased with increases in the crystallinity. The biocompatibility of the fibers was evaluated by analysing their effects on HepG2 cells since their elastic modulus of 12.7 MPa matched that of liver tissue. The use of the fiber resulted in an increase in HepG2 cell viability up to 158.8% on the first day and 215.5% on the second day compared to the controls.
