Merk Markus, Chirikian Orlando, Adlhart Christian
Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, 8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland.
Biomolecular Science and Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
Materials (Basel). 2021 Apr 16;14(8):2006. doi: 10.3390/ma14082006.
Recent advancements in tissue engineering and material science have radically improved in vitro culturing platforms to more accurately replicate human tissue. However, the transition to clinical relevance has been slow in part due to the lack of biologically compatible/relevant materials. In the present study, we marry the commonly used two-dimensional (2D) technique of electrospinning and a self-assembly process to construct easily reproducible, highly porous, three-dimensional (3D) nanofiber scaffolds for various tissue engineering applications. Specimens from biologically relevant polymers polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin were chemically cross-linked using the naturally occurring cross-linker genipin. Potential cytotoxic effects of the scaffolds were analyzed by culturing human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) up to 23 days. The 3D PCL/gelatin/genipin scaffolds produced here resemble the complex nanofibrous architecture found in naturally occurring extracellular matrix (ECM) and exhibit physiologically relevant mechanical properties as well as excellent cell cytocompatibility. Samples cross-linked with 0.5% genipin demonstrated the highest metabolic activity and proliferation rates for HDF. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicated excellent cell adhesion and the characteristic morphological features of fibroblasts in all tested samples. The three-dimensional (3D) PCL/gelatin/genipin scaffolds produced here show great potential for various 3D tissue-engineering applications such as ex vivo cell culturing platforms, wound healing, or tissue replacement.
组织工程学和材料科学的最新进展已从根本上改进了体外培养平台，以便更准确地复制人体组织。然而，向临床实用性的转变一直较为缓慢，部分原因是缺乏生物相容性/相关性材料。在本研究中，我们将常用的二维静电纺丝技术与自组装过程相结合，构建了易于重现、高度多孔的三维纳米纤维支架，用于各种组织工程应用。来自生物相关性聚合物聚己内酯（PCL）和明胶的样本使用天然存在的交联剂京尼平进行化学交联。通过培养人皮肤成纤维细胞（HDF）长达23天来分析支架的潜在细胞毒性作用。此处制备的三维PCL/明胶/京尼平支架类似于天然存在的细胞外基质（ECM）中发现的复杂纳米纤维结构，并表现出生理相关的力学性能以及出色的细胞相容性。与0.5%京尼平交联的样本对HDF表现出最高的代谢活性和增殖率。扫描电子显微镜（SEM）图像显示所有测试样本中细胞均具有出色的黏附性以及成纤维细胞的特征形态。此处制备的三维PCL/明胶/京尼平支架在各种三维组织工程应用中显示出巨大潜力，如体外细胞培养平台、伤口愈合或组织替代。
