Wang Shuai, Wang Zhenxing, Foo Selin Ee Min, Tan Nguan Soon, Yuan Yuan, Lin Weisi, Zhang Zhiyong, Ng Kee Woei
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , N4.1, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2015 Mar 11;7(9):5187-98. doi: 10.1021/acsami.5b00854. Epub 2015 Feb 25.
Human hair keratins are readily available, easy to extract, and eco-friendly materials with natural bioactivities. Keratin-based materials have been studied for applications such as cell culture substrates, internal hemostats for liver injury, and conduits for peripheral nerve repair. However, there are limited reports of using keratin-based 3D scaffolds for cell culture in vitro. Here, we describe the development of a 3D hair keratin hydrogel, which allows for living cell encapsulation under near physiological conditions. The convenience of making the hydrogels from keratin solutions in a simple and controllable manner is demonstrated, giving rise to constructs with tunable physical properties. This keratin hydrogel is comparable to collagen hydrogels in supporting the viability and proliferation of L929 murine fibroblasts. Notably, the keratin hydrogels contract less significantly as compared to the collagen hydrogels, over a 16-day culture period. In addition, preliminary in vivo studies in immunocompetent animals show mild acute host tissue response. These results collectively demonstrate the potential of cell-loaded keratin hydrogels as 3D cell culture systems, which may be developed for clinically relevant applications.
人发角蛋白是易于获取、易于提取且具有天然生物活性的环保材料。基于角蛋白的材料已被研究用于细胞培养底物、肝损伤内部止血剂以及周围神经修复导管等应用。然而，关于使用基于角蛋白的三维支架进行体外细胞培养的报道有限。在此，我们描述了一种三维毛发角蛋白水凝胶的开发，其能够在接近生理条件下封装活细胞。展示了以简单且可控的方式由角蛋白溶液制备水凝胶的便利性，从而产生具有可调物理性质的构建体。这种角蛋白水凝胶在支持L929小鼠成纤维细胞的活力和增殖方面与胶原蛋白水凝胶相当。值得注意的是，在16天的培养期内，角蛋白水凝胶的收缩比胶原蛋白水凝胶小得多。此外，在免疫活性动物中的初步体内研究显示出轻微的急性宿主组织反应。这些结果共同证明了负载细胞的角蛋白水凝胶作为三维细胞培养系统的潜力，其可能被开发用于临床相关应用。
