title: Fibrillar films obtained from sodium soap fibers and polyelectrolyte multilayers.
abstract: An objective of tissue engineering is to create synthetic polymer scaffolds with a fibrillar microstructure similar to the extracellular matrix. Here, we present a novel method for creating polymer fibers using the layer-by-layer method and sacrificial templates composed of sodium soap fibers. Soap fibers were prepared from neutralized fatty acids using a sodium chloride crystal dissolution method. Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) of polystyrene sulfonate and polyallylamine hydrochloride were deposited onto the soap fibers, crosslinked with glutaraldehyde, and then the soap fibers were leached with warm water and ethanol. The morphology of the resulting PEM structures was a dense network of fibers surrounded by a nonfibrillar matrix. Microscopy revealed that the PEM fibers were solid structures, presumably composed of polyelectrolytes complexed with residual fatty acids. These fibrillar PEM films were found to support the attachment of human dermal fibroblasts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0800, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Zawko
authors.forename: Christine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D020405:Dermis / Q000166:cytology; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D012915:Soaps / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012964:Sodium / Q000737:chemistry*; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry; D012996:Solutions
chemical_list: D004573:Electrolytes; D012915:Soaps; D012996:Solutions; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D012964:Sodium