Enhanced Fibroblast Cellular Ligamentization Process to Polyethylene Terepthalate Artificial Ligament by Silk Fibroin Coating

Abstract

Artificial ligaments utilized in reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are usually made of polyethylene terepthalate (PET) because of its good mechanical properties in vivo. However, it was found that the deficiencies in hydrophilicity and biocompatibility of PET hindered the process of ligamentization. Therefore, surface modification of the PET is deemed as a solution in resolving such problem. Silk fibroin (SF), which is characterized by good biocompatibility and low immunogenicity in clinical applications, was utilized to prepare a coating on the PET ligament (PET+SF) in this work. At first, decrease of hydrophobicity and appearance of amino groups were found on the surface of artificial PET ligament after coating with SF. Second, mouse fibroblasts were cultured on the two different kinds of ligament in order to clarify the possible effect of SF coating. It was proved that mouse fibroblasts display better adhesion and proliferation on PET+SF than PET ligament according to the results of several technical methods including SEM observation, cell adhesive force and spread area test, and mRNA analysis. Meanwhile, methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide and DNA content tests showed that biocompatibility of PET+SF is better than PET ligament. In addition, collagen deposition tests also indicated that the quantity of collagen in PET+SF is higher than PET ligament. Based on these results, it can be concluded that SF coating is suggested to be an effective approach to modify the surface of PET ligament and enhance the "ligamentization" process in vivo accordingly.

Tissue Regeneration: A Silk Road

“…Jaipaew et al developed a 3D porous silk fibroin (SF)/hyaluronic acid (HA) scaffold formed by freeze-drying. The scaffold was then seeded with human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs) and cultured in the chondrogenic medium [ 63 ]. The group reported sphere complexes of cells in the porous scaffold structure that express Col2a, Agg, and Sox9 markers for chondrogenesis, suggesting accelerated differentiation and functionality of the chondrocytes [ 63 ].…”

“…The scaffold was then seeded with human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs) and cultured in the chondrogenic medium [ 63 ]. The group reported sphere complexes of cells in the porous scaffold structure that express Col2a, Agg, and Sox9 markers for chondrogenesis, suggesting accelerated differentiation and functionality of the chondrocytes [ 63 ]. The unique 3D design in addition to the interconnected pores provided a high swelling ratio and enhanced water uptake, thereby, creating a soft and elastic characteristic mimicking the native cartilage.…”

Silk Fibroin and Spidroin Bioengineering Constructions for Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering (Review)

“…In vitro experiments showed that the adhesion and proliferation of mural fibroblasts on the surfaces of these structures are improved compared to ligaments which were not modified with the polymer [139].…”

Silk enhances the ligamentization of the polyethylene terephthalate artificial ligament in a canine anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction model

“…To overcome the drawback, a lot of surface coating and biological approaches have been studied, including hydroxyapatite, hydroxypropylcellulose, silk fibroin (SF), polypeptide, and estrogen. (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). One obstacle of surface coating is that its adhesion to the ligament is not firm enough, so it may fall off partially when the PET artificial ligament is dragged through the bone tunnel.…”