Electrospinning Fabrication Methods to Incorporate Laminin in Polycaprolactone for Kidney Tissue Engineering

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Today’s treatment options for renal diseases fall behind the need, as the number of patients has increased considerably over the last few decades. Tissue engineering (TE) is one avenue which may provide a new approach for renal disease treatment. This involves creating a niche where seeded cells can function in an intended way. One approach to TE is combining natural extracellular matrix proteins with synthetic polymers, which has been shown to have many positives, yet a little is understood in kidney. Herein, we investigate the incorporation of laminin into polycaprolactone electrospun scaffolds. METHOD: The scaffolds were enriched with laminin via either direct blending with polymer solution or in a form of emulsion with a surfactant. Renal epithelial cells (RC-124) were cultured on scaffolds up to 21 days. RESULTS: Mechanical characterization demonstrated that the addition of the protein changed Young’s modulus of polymeric fibres. Cell viability and DNA quantification tests revealed the capability of the scaffolds to maintain cell survival up to 3 weeks in culture. Gene expression analysis indicated healthy cells via three key markers. CONCLUSION: Our results show the importance of hybrid scaffolds for kidney tissue engineering.

Effect of Ionic and Non-Ionic Surfactant on Bovine Serum Albumin Encapsulation and Biological Properties of Emulsion-Electrospun Fibers

“…Moreover, contrary to monolithic fibers obtained by blend electrospinning, emulsion electrospinning enables the production of core-shell fibers that are more advantageous in sustaining the molecule’s release. The advantages offered by emulsion electrospinning have contributed to their wide application as a method of encapsulating biomolecules such as laminin (renal protein) within PCL fibers [ 12 ] or BSA and Nerve Grow Factor inside PCL fibers [ 13 ]. An interesting approach was proposed by Qi et al, who prepared beads-in-string nanofibers via electrospinning from O/W (oil-in-water) and W/O (water-in-oil) emulsions.…”

Modulation of Tissue Microenvironment Following Myocardial Infarction

“…[88,89] These often include drugs, such as statins, [90] or bioactives such as proteins. [91] Figure 2 demonstrates the drug incorporation techniques found within literature, including functionalized polymeric patches, [92] encapsulation within electrospun and coaxial electrospun fibers, [35,36,93] loading within nanoparticles, [19,29,90] or a gel. [34,[94][95][96][97] One such example is the polyurethane-thioketal electrospun patch mentioned earlier, which when conjugated with the corticosteroid methylprednisolone increased scavenging of DPPH radicals and induced greater neovascularization while preserving left-ventricular geometry in a rat AMI model.…”

In Situ Detection of Kidney Organoid Generation From Stem Cells Using a Simple Electrochemical Method

“…[4] Several studies have sought to mimic the complex structure and functions of the kidney in vitro, including the modeling of acquired or genetic kidney diseases, to identify more effective medical treatment techniques and drugs. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Organoids are self-organized multicellular tissues derived from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in vitro, which have recently emerged as promising models of human disease. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] In 2015, several researchers reported the successful differentiation of PSCs into nephron-like structures mimicking the compartments of the kidney.…”

“…[ 4 ] Several studies have sought to mimic the complex structure and functions of the kidney in vitro, including the modeling of acquired or genetic kidney diseases, to identify more effective medical treatment techniques and drugs. [ 5–12 ] Organoids are self‐organized multicellular tissues derived from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in vitro, which have recently emerged as promising models of human disease. [ 13–21 ]…”