Crosslinked pullulan/cellulose acetate fibrous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.
Natural polymer based fibrous scaffolds have been explored for bone tissue engineering applications; however, their inadequate 3-dimensionality and poor mechanical properties are among the concerns for their use as bone substitutes. In this study, pullulan (P) and cellulose acetate (CA), two polysaccharides, were electrospun at various P/CA ratios (P80/CA20, P50/CA50, and P20/CA80%) to develop 3D fibrous network. The scaffolds were then crosslinked with trisodium trimetaphosphate (STMP) to improve the mechanical properties and to delay fast weight loss. The lowest weight loss was observed for the groups that were crosslinked with P/STMP 2/1 for 10min. Fiber morphologies of P50/CA50 were more uniform without phase separation and this group was crosslinked most efficiently among groups. It was found that mechanical properties of P20/CA80 and P50/CA50 were higher than that of P80/CA20. After crosslinking strain values of P50/CA50 scaffolds were improved and these scaffolds became more stable. Unlike P80/CA20, uncrosslinked P50/CA50 and P20/CA80 were not lost in PBS. Among all groups, crosslinked P50/CA50 scaffolds had more uniform pores; therefore this group was used for bioactivity and cell culture studies. Apatite-like structures were observed on fibers after SBF incubation. Human Osteogenic Sarcoma Cell Line (Saos-2) seeded onto crosslinked P50/CA50 scaffolds adhered and proliferated. The functionality of cells was tested by measuring ALP activity of the cells and the results indicated their osteoblastic differentiation. In vitro tests showed that scaffolds were cytocompatible. To sum up, crosslinked P50/CA50 scaffolds were proposed as candidate cell carriers for bone tissue engineering applications.
Department of Engineering Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Turkey.
Deniz
D
Atila
Department of Engineering Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Turkey; Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Center of Excellence, Middle East Technical University, Turkey.
Dilek
D
Keskin
Department of Engineering Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Turkey; Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Center of Excellence, Middle East Technical University, Turkey. Electronic address: tezcaner@metu.edu.tr.
Ayşen
A
Tezcaner
D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002482:Cellulose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D005936:Glucans / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011122:Polyphosphates / Q000737:chemistry; D016062:Porosity; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013718:Tensile Strength; D023822:Tissue Engineering
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005936:Glucans; D011122:Polyphosphates; C005062:acetylcellulose; C009109:pullulan; D002482:Cellulose; C009293:trimetaphosphoric acid
Bone tissue engineering; Cellulose acetate; Pullulan; Wet electrospinning