Electrocrystallization of Calcium Oxalate Mediated by Electrospun Polymer Fiber Using Poly(acrylic acid-<i>co</i>-4-styrene sulfonate).

Abstract

Calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals play a central role in urolithiasis, a pathological crystallization process that remains difficult to prevent. In this study, electrospun polymeric fiber (EPF) meshes of poly(acrylic acid-<i>co</i>-styrene sulfonate) P(AA-<i>co</i>-SS) were fabricated by electrospinning (ES) under controlled positive (+) or negative (-) voltages. The influence of PAA and PSS homopolymers, as well as P(AA-<i>co</i>-SS) copolymers with varying compositions, was evaluated as anionic scaffolds in in vitro CaOx electrocrystallization (EC) experiments. The structural and morphological features of the EPF meshes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Our results demonstrate that specific EPF meshes can effectively guide CaOx crystal growth, promoting the selective stabilization of either calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) or calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD) phases. These findings highlight the potential of tailored EPF meshes as anionic scaffolds for modulating pathological CaOx crystallization.