title: Composite Electrospun Scaffold Derived from Recombinant Fibroin of Weaver Ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) as Cell-Substratum.
abstract: Unlike silkworm (Bombyx mori) fibroin (SF), weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) fibroin (WAF) is much less studied. Due to differences in amino acid composition and protein structure, this work aimed to produce the recombinant WAF protein, designated as WAF1, and investigated on its potential application as a biomaterial for producing a cell-substratum. The composite electrospun scaffolds derived from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), WAF1, and extracted SF were produced by electrospinning. SEM images revealed non-woven and smooth fibers of PVA, PVA-WAF1, and PVA-SF scaffolds with the average diameters of 204.1 ± 59.9, 206.5 ± 71.5, and 238.4 ± 77.9 nm, respectively. ATR-FTIR spectra indicated characteristic absorption peaks related to the chemical structure of PVA and protein. The PVA-WAF1 scaffold demonstrated a higher water uptake, a slightly higher rate of degradation, and a similar low cytotoxicity as compared with the PVA-SF scaffold. Although the adhesion and proliferation of cells on the PVA-WAF1 scaffold were lower than those on the PVA-SF scaffold, it showed significantly greater values of adhering and proliferating cells than the PVA scaffold. The results of this work suggested that WAF1 could be used as a biomaterial for producing a cell-substratum that supports cell adhesion and growth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand.
authors.forename: Arunrat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khamhaengpol
authors.affiliation: School of Biology, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. ssinee@sut.ac.th.
authors.forename: Sineenat
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2740-5724
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Siri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000235:genetics*; D005349:Fibroins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D051379:Mice; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D005349:Fibroins
keywords: Electrospun scaffold; Fibroin; Recombinant protein; Weaver ant