Naturally derived biofunctional nanofibrous scaffold for skin tissue regeneration
Introduction
Skin is the largest protective barrier of human body. Skin regenerate itself when subjected to minor injuries however severe damages like full thickness dermal loss require effective clinical treatment failure of which may lead to mortality [1]. Surgical approaches like auto grafts remains the main treatment for thermal injury related skin loss however severe burn patients lack tissue availability requiring an alternative method of skin replacement [2]. Emergence of tissue engineering therapeutic means has attracted much attention as it offers a better solution to overcome the drawbacks of current limitation in skin transplantation which focuses on regeneration of neotissues from cells with the support of biomaterials and growth factors [3]. The cells, scaffold and growth factor are the three key materials for tissue engineering [4]. Scaffolds are artificial structure capable of supporting and providing a native environment for the cell adhesion and proliferation to form tissues [5], [6].
Several ways available for scaffold production of which electrospinning remains the predominant choice as it can produce materials with nanoscale properties [7] mimicking the architecture of the native extracellular matrix [8]. Polymeric scaffold of different origin (natural and synthetic) have been investigated for scaffold development [9], [10]. Natural materials like collagen, fibrin and chitosan are rich in growth factors and are ideal for promoting skin tissue regeneration but are not mechanically strong when electrospun on the other hand biodegradable synthetic materials such as Polycaprolactone (PCL), Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) are stronger, but lack growth factor for tissue regeneration [11], [12], [13]. The major challenges in scaffold fabrication for dermal regeneration are the need for both complex functionality and biomechanical stability. The alternative solution for the above issue can be overcome by physical hybridizing of polymers (natural biopolymers or synthetic polymers) for a synergistic actions and then converting them into nanofibers which can impart bioactivity and improved mechanical property to the resulting scaffold.
Silk fibroin is a natural protein isolated from silkworm (Bombyx mori) containing two main proteins, sericin (outer covering) and fibroin (central structure). Fibroin does not induce immune rejection unlike other bio-derived proteins and hence being focused for biomedical applications. Additionally fibroin has many unique properties like strong mechanical stability; biocompatibility and slow degradability. Research findings have shown fibroin based scaffolds mimic the extracellular matrix and efficiently support cell attachment and proliferation of fibroblasts [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24], [25]. Aloe vera based dermatological treatment have been practised traditionally for centuries especially for wounds, burns, insect sting, and skin inflammation [26], [27], [28]. Anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, immunomodulatory properties of aloe vera has highlighted its application in biomedical applications. Mannose 6-phosphate and acemannan are the important components responsible for many therapeutic properties of Aloe vera which mediate cell signaling pathway for proliferation of fibroblast [29], [30]. It promotes epithelialization and collagen synthesis for effective wound healing [31], [32], [33], [34].
Human fibroblast cells need higher elastic support due to their elongated morphology. In present study for scaffold fabrication PLACL was used which has higher tensile properties compared to PCL and Silk Fibroin was used to further increase the mechanical strength of the fabricated scaffolds as silk fibroin has unique mechanical and biological properties and Aloe vera was used for its wound healing property. Physico-chemical and biological characterization of the hybrid scaffolds are investigated for its enhanced ability towards wound healing and tissue regeneration.
Section snippets
Fabrication of PLACL, PLACL-SF, PLACL-SF-AV and PLACL/Collagen scaffolds
PLACL was dissolved in DCM: DMF (3:1) (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, USA) to form 10% solution and kept in stirring overnight. PLACL-SF solutions were prepared by dissolving 8% PLACL and 4% lyophilized Silk Fibroin powder (Xi’an Yuensun Biological Technology Co., Ltd, China) in DCM: DMF (3:1). Similarly PLACL-SF-AV solution was prepared by dissolving 8% PLACL followed by addition of 4% silk fibroin powder and 4% Aloe vera powder (Xi’an Yuensun Biological Technology Co., Ltd, China) in DCM:DMF
Characterization of nanofibrous scaffolds
The morphology of nanofibrous scaffolds were analyzed by FESEM. Fig. 1 (a–d) shows the FESEM micrographs of PLACL, PLACL-SF, PLACL-SF-AV and PLACL/Collagen nanofibrous scaffolds.
Fiber diameters were calculated from the FESEM pictures using the ImageJ analysis software. The average fiber diameter of PLACL, PLACL-SF, PLACL-SF-AV and PLACL/Collagen nanofibers were in the range of 515 ± 43, 460 ± 32 nm, 212 ± 27 nm and 233 ± 54 nm, respectively and results were tabulated in Table 1.
Similar to the PLACL
Conclusion
Electrospinning of multiple natural polymer blends can yield a mixture of natural nanofibers that closely mimic the native ECM. A large percentage of native tissues contains both protein and polysaccharides fibers that are frequently subjected to tensile and elastic loading, respectively. Electrospun fibrous scaffolds composed of silk fibroin and aloe vera have been fabricated to replicate the native ECM of human skin. PLACL-SF-AV scaffold supports fibroblast proliferation and produces distinct
Acknowledgment
This study was supported by the Department of Textile Technology, Anna University, Chennai, India and National University of Singapore, Singapore.
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