Acrylated Epoxidized Soybean Oil/Polyvinylidene Fluoride Nanocomposites: Demonstrating the Potential Role of Plant Oils in Biomedical Applications

Acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) is a soybean oil derivative recently utilized as a green raw material in biopolymer synthesis. However, its potential as a photo-polymerizable feedstock in multifunctional tissue engineering scaffolds remains underexplored. While AESO exhibits strong biocompatibility, its rapid biodegradation and limited mechanical properties constrain its biomedical applications. Here, we present antibacterial scaffolds using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), AESO, curcumin, and graphene oxide (GO) with high potential for tissue engineering applications. Our results showed that the scaffolds possess a semi-crystalline structure and the presence of PVDF could effectively support the mechanical integrity of the AESO phase. Fabricated scaffolds presented Young’s modulus, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation at break of 105–250 MPa, 8–10 MPa, and 17–25%, respectively, that could fulfill the requirements for supporting a range of stiff tissues. Curcumin-containing scaffolds demonstrated desirable antibacterial activity against both E. coli and S. aureus bacteria. As well the capacity of the PVDF/AESO matrix for drug release was studied. As expected, hydrophilicity and biodegradation rates were influenced noticeably by incorporating GO nanosheets. Finally, the fabricated scaffold showed in-vitro biocompatibility with desirable attachment and proliferation of MG-63 cells. Our findings indicate the potential of AESO for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. The employing of AESO in this study inspires the investigation of other plant oils and their derivatives as resins for fabricating biomedical scaffolds.