Impact of sterilization technique on electrospun poly(4‐hydroxybutyrate) membranes for biomedical application

Abstract Bioabsorbable poly(4‐hydroxybutyrate) (P4HB) electrospun membrane has been widely used in various biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility and unique mechanical properties. When commercialization is envisaged, a sterilization procedure aiming to prevent bacterial contamination of biomedical devices is indispensable. Herein, P4HB membranes were sterilized by using different sterilization techniques. It's observed that ethylene oxide (EO), ultraviolet radiation (UV), and electron beam (E‐beam) irradiation do not influence the morphology of fiber membranes. Analysis of the data revealed that E‐beam irradiation sterilization can induce chain scission of P4HB. The EO sterilization process can increase the melting point of P4HB electrospun membranes. None of the sterilization methods showed a significant effect on the hemocompatibility of the P4HB membranes. Furthermore, the cytocompatibility experiment indicated that none of the P4HB membranes had any toxic effects on L929 cells. Taken together, selecting a suitable sterilization method that effectively sterilizes and does less damage during the sterilization process is critical to P4HB membranes for biomedical application.