title: In vitro evaluation of crosslinked electrospun fish gelatin scaffolds.
abstract: Gelatin from cold water fish skin was electrospun, crosslinked and investigated as a substrate for the adhesion and proliferation of cells. Gelatin was first dissolved in either water or concentrated acetic acid and both solutions were successfully electrospun. Cross-linking was achieved via three different routes: glutaraldehyde vapor, genipin and dehydrothermal treatment. Solution's properties (surface tension, electrical conductivity and viscosity) and scaffold's properties (chemical bonds, weight loss and fiber diameters) were measured. Cellular viability was analyzed culturing 3T3 fibroblasts plated on the scaffolds and grown up to 7 days. The cells were fixed and observed with SEM or stained for DNA and F-actin and observed with confocal microscopy. In all scaffolds, the cells attached and spread with varying degrees. The evaluation of cell viability showed proliferation of cells until confluence in scaffolds crosslinked by glutaraldehyde and genipin; however the rate of growth in genipin crosslinked scaffolds was slow, recovering only by day five. The results using the dehydrothermal treatment were the less satisfactory. Our results show that glutaraldehyde treated fish gelatin is the most suitable substrate, of the three studied, for fibroblast adhesion and proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Física e Investigação Tecnológica / Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: C M R
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Henriques
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D048430:Cell Shape / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005399:Fishes; D005780:Gelatin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D012996:Solutions; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013500:Surface Tension / Q000187:drug effects; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*; D014783:Viscosity / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D012996:Solutions; D005780:Gelatin
keywords: Cellular viability; Cold water fish skin gelatin; Crosslinking; Electrospinning