Bioabsorbable poly(4-hydroxybutyrate) (P4HB) fibrous membranes as a potential dermal substitute

Dermal substitutes are indispensable for repairing large full-thickness skin defects. Only a few biomaterials for dermal substitution have been put into clinical practice. Therefore, novel artificial dermal substitutes that can meet clinical requirements are in urgent need. Biodegradable poly(4-hydroxybutyrate) (P4HB), which has been approved by the U.S. FDA, can be considered as a possible alternative biomaterial to construct dermal substitutes. In this work, three-dimensional P4HB fibrous membranes were constructed by an electrospinning technique. These P4HB fibrous membranes showed excellent air-permeability, and better water uptake capacity compared to P4HB strip and polycaprolactone (PCL) fibrous membrane controls. The in vitro hemocompatibility and cytotoxicity of P4HB fibrous membranes were investigated. In vivo Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat model studies revealed that P4HB fibrous membranes can be used as artificial dermis to improve wound healing for full-thickness skin defects.