Electrospun Type 1 Collagen Matrices Using a Novel Benign Solvent for Cardiac Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Electrospinning is a well-established technique that uses a high electric field to fabricate ultra fine fibrous scaffolds from both natural and synthetic polymers to mimic the cellular microenvironment. Collagen is one of the most preferred biopolymers due to its biocompatibility and widespread occurrence in nature. Electrospinning of Collagen alone has been reported with fluoroalcohols such as Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and Trifluoroethanol (TFE), which are toxic to the environment. In this study we describe the use of a novel benign binary solvent to generate nanofibers of Collagen type 1, which is non-toxic and economical. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed the characteristic feature of native collagen namely the 67 nm banding pattern, confirming that the triple helical structure was maintained. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis showed the fiber diameters to be in the 200-800 nm range. Biocompatibility of the three dimensional (3D) scaffolds was established by MTT assays using skeletal myoblasts and Confocal Microscopic analysis of immunofluorescent stained sections for muscle specific markers such as Desmin and Actin. Primary neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes seeded onto the scaffolds were able to maintain their contractile function for a period of 17 days. Our work provides evidence that Collagen 1 can be electrospun without combining with other polymers using a novel benign solvent and we are currently exploring the potential of this approach for cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue engineering. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Development of a novel bioartificial cornea using 3D bioprinting based on electrospun micro-nanofibrous decellularized extracellular matrix

“…The major component of DCSM is collagen type I, which has previously been isolated by electrospinning using moderate solvents such as PBS 20×:EtOH (1:1), and acetic acid:dimethyl sulfoxide (93:7) [43,44]. However, these solutions were not spinnable for dECM.…”

<p>Biodegradable Nanopolymers in Cardiac Tissue Engineering: From Concept Towards Nanomedicine</p>

“…[53][54][55][56][57][58] Collagen is one of most preferred biodegradable polymers in diverse tissue engineering applications (especially in cardiac tissue engineering) because of its high biocompatibility, biodegradability, hyposensitivity and low toxicity. 32,59 Collagen scaffolds, especially nanofibrous scaffolds, have been investigated for cardiac tissue engineering. In one study, one of the most facile recent techniques for generating nanofibrous scaffolds out of collagen uses an electric field between a grounded collector and polymer solution by Punnoose et al Fluoroalcohols (such as 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP)) were used to produce nanofibrous scaffolds out of collagen type 1, which has been the main choice for the production of collagen-based biomaterials.…”

“…This solvent was not only low in cost but it also maintained the native integrity of electrospun collagen. 59 In other study, Joanne et al investigated electrospun collagen scaffolds with biologically compatible solvents (based on ethanol, water and salts) and cross-linking agents (glycerol). This nanofibrous collagen scaffold was seeded with human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and these scaffolds were epicardially delivered in a mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy.…”

Nanofibrous scaffolds supporting optimal central nervous system regeneration: an evidence-based review

“…Synthetic polymers used to fabricate or develop nanofibrous scaffolds include polylactic acid (PLA), 29,[32][33][34] polycaprolactone (PCL), [35][36][37] and poly(glycolide). 35,38,39 Natural polymers include collagen, [40][41][42] gelatin, 43,44 chitosan, 45,46 and silk fibroin. 47,48 These fibers resemble the natural ECM, as they are thin continuous fibers with a high surface-to-volume ratio.…”