Electrospun soy protein nanofiber scaffolds for tissue regeneration

Abstract

Electrospun fibers with an average fiber diameter in the nanometer range were prepared from soy protein isolate to develop scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Poly(ethylene oxide) was added to facilitate fiber formation. The influence of processing parameters such as applied voltage, soy protein isolate and poly(ethylene oxide) concentrations, and poly(ethylene oxide) molecular weight on electrospun fiber morphology was investigated. Resulting soy protein isolate/poly(ethylene oxide) mats were carbodiimide crosslinked to increase construct robustness. Mechanical properties and in vitro biocompatibility of crosslinked electrospun scaffolds were evaluated. Soy protein isolate/poly(ethylene oxide) fiber diameters ranged between 50 and 270 nm depending on both electrospinning and solution parameters. The Young's modulus for 7% soy protein isolate/3% poly(ethylene oxide) and 12% soy protein isolate/3% poly(ethylene oxide) electrospun scaffolds were 75 and 252 kPa, respectively. Human mesenchymal stem cell studies showed successful cell adhesion and proliferation on the soy protein isolate/poly(ethylene oxide) fibers. The structural and biological properties of these soy protein isolate electrospun scaffolds suggest their potential applications in tissue engineering.

Biomedical applications of soy protein: A brief overview

“…Figure shows SEM images of SPI/PEO electrospun fibers demonstrating that by increasing the PEO concentration the diameter of the fibers increases, e.g. from 30 to 150 nm …”

“…In addition to the pH, the dissolution and solution viscosity of soy protein isolate in water can be altered by both temperature and heating time. All of these conditions above have been exploited, for example, to fabricate soy protein fibers by electrospinning method . Moreover, by applying an electric field, soy protein hydrogel films could be drifted to the anode or the cathode depending on the pH of the solution .…”

“…Moreover soy/PEO fibrous scaffolds, which were obtained by electrospinning in HFP, were stable in aqueous medium and did not need further crosslinking . In addition Ramji et al prepared SPI/PEO electrospun fibers for tissue engineering applications. The results showed that the concentration of both SPI and PEO and also the molecular weight of PEO had an effect on the morphology of electrospun fibers.…”

Hydrogel films and microcapsules based on soy protein isolate combined with alginate

“…There are also reports on the application of soy protein on its own or blended with other biopolymers in wound healing, tissue engineering, drug delivery systems, and in other biomedical applications …”

“…25 However, soy protein also just like other types of foods and proteins, might induce allergic effects on some people or infants especially, when it is orally administered. 26 There are also reports on the application of soy protein on its own or blended with other biopolymers in wound healing, 27,28 tissue engineering, [29][30][31] drug delivery systems, 32 and in other biomedical applications. 11 The main goal of this investigation was the fabrication and characterization of a new family of hydrogels based on alginate/ SPI films and microcapsules for soft tissue engineering.…”