Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering (DICI), University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
Inter-University Center for the 3Rs Principles in Teaching & Research (Centro 3R), 56126, Pisa, Italy.
J Mater Sci Mater Med. 2019 Nov 14;30(11):126. doi: 10.1007/s10856-019-6327-6.
3D scaffolds used to repair damaged tissues should be able to mimic both composition and functions of natural extracellular matrix, which is mainly composed of polysaccharides and proteins. In our previous research new biomimetic sponges, based on blends of alginate with gelatin, were produced and characterized for myocardial tissue engineering applications. It was observed that these scaffolds can potentially function as a promising cardiac extracellular matrix substitute, but a reinforcement is required to improve their suturing properties. Aim of the present work was the development of a suturable biomimetic patch by the inclusion of a synthetic mesh within an alginate/gelatin scaffold. The mesh, produced by dry spinning, was made of eight superimposed layers of polycaprolactone microfibers, each one rotated of 45° with respect to the adjacent one. Reinforced scaffolds were obtained through the use of a mold, specially designed to place the fibrous mesh exactly in the center of the sponge. Both the reinforcement mesh and the reinforced scaffold were characterized. A perfect integration between the mesh and the sponge was observed. The fibrous mesh reduced the capacity of the sponge to absorb water, but the degree of hydrophilicity of the material was still comparable with that of natural cardiac tissue. The reinforced system showed a suitable stability in aqueous environment and it resulted much more resistant to suturing than not reinforced scaffold and even than human arteries. Polycaprolactone mesh was not cytotoxic and the reinforced scaffold was able to support cardiomyocytes adhesion and proliferation. Overall, the obtained results confirmed that the choice to modify the alginate/gelatin sponges through the insertion of an appropriate reinforcement system turned out to be correct in view of their potential use in myocardial tissue engineering.
用于修复受损组织的 3D 支架应能够模拟天然细胞外基质的组成和功能，天然细胞外基质主要由多糖和蛋白质组成。在我们之前的研究中，基于海藻酸钠与明胶的混合物，制备并表征了新型仿生海绵，用于心肌组织工程应用。研究发现，这些支架具有作为有前途的心脏细胞外基质替代物的潜力，但需要增强其缝合性能。本工作的目的是通过在海藻酸钠/明胶支架中包含合成网来开发可缝合的仿生贴片。该网由干纺制成，由 8 层叠加的聚己内酯微纤维组成，每层相对于相邻层旋转 45°。通过使用专门设计的模具来获得增强型支架，该模具可将纤维网准确地放置在海绵的中心。对增强型支架和增强型支架进行了特性研究。观察到网与海绵之间完美结合。纤维网降低了海绵的吸水性，但材料的亲水性程度仍与天然心脏组织相当。增强系统在水介质中表现出适当的稳定性，并且比未增强的支架甚至比人体动脉更耐缝合。聚己内酯网没有细胞毒性，并且增强的支架能够支持心肌细胞的黏附和增殖。总的来说，研究结果证实，通过插入适当的增强系统来修饰海藻酸钠/明胶海绵的选择是正确的，因为它们可能用于心肌组织工程。
