Evaluating the cytocompatibility and differentiation of bone progenitors on electrospun zein scaffolds

Abstract

Bone fractures often result in complications that require surgical intervention to promote fracture healing. Tissue engineering seeks to alleviate the need for autologous bone grafting by utilizing scaffolds that can promote bone fracture healing. Plant-derived materials are desirable biomaterials because of their biodegradability, availability, and low immunogenicity. Among various plantderived proteins, zein, which is a corn protein, has shown promise for bone repair.However, when processed, zein is often blended with synthetic materials to improve mechanical properties and overall hydrolytic stability. In this study, pure zein was electrospun to create fibrous scaffolds and cross-linked with trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether to improve hydrolytic stability. Scaffolds were characterized and evaluated in vitro for promoting the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells, which are bone progenitor cells. Cross-linked zein scaffolds retained their uniform fiber morphologies after hydration. MC3T3-E1 cells grew and differentiated on the zein scaffolds even in the absence of induction factors, as demonstrated by increased alkaline phosphatase activity, mineralization, and early upregulation of Runx2 gene expression, a transcription factor associated with osteoblast differentiation. These studies demonstrate that stable, zein fibrous scaffolds could have potential for use in bone repair applications.

Plant‐Derived Zein as an Alternative to Animal‐Derived Gelatin for Use as a Tissue Engineering Scaffold

“…Fabrication of Scaffolds: Zein scaffolds were fabricated using previously described methods. [15] Briefly, 30% (w/w) of purified zein (Fisher Scientific, Pittsburgh, PA, USA) was dissolved in 80/20 denatured ethanol (Fisher Scientific)/deionized water (DI) water and stirred at room temperature with magnetic stirring for 1.5 h. Gelatin scaffolds were fabricated using a modified version of previously described methods. [43,44] Briefly, 24% (w/w) bovine gelatin type B (Sigma Aldrich) was mixed in 60/40 glacial acetic acid (Fisher Scientific) and DI water which were stirred and heated to 60 °C for 10 min prior to the addition of gelatin.…”

“…[1,2,14] To form hydrolytically stable scaffolds, our group has shown that fibrous zein can be cross-linked using trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether (TMPGE) and maintain its fiber morphology after 30 days in aqueous environment. [15] Here, we evaluated cross-linked fibrous zein scaffolds for supporting human mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) adhesion, growth, and infiltration into…”

Sustainable Biodegradable Biopolymer-Based Nanoparticles for Healthcare Applications

“…Namely, it offers greater bioavailability, protection, and prolonged, controlled, and more effective release of incorporated substances at the target site. Many therapeutic agents have been successfully loaded into zein-based nanoparticles, e.g., doxorubicin, heparin, 5-fluorouracil, coumarin, quercetin, resveratrol, vitamin D3, and different antimicrobials [ 185 , 192 , 193 , 194 ].…”

Surface-Tailored Zein Nanoparticles: Strategies and Applications

“…It is noteworthy that Runx2 is a frequently described gene for osteoblast differentiation which regulates the differentiation of mesenchymal progenitor cells to preosteoblasts and induces the expression of noncollagenous proteins such as osteocalcin (OCN) and osteopontin (OPN); however, the study suggested that the BMP6 peptideloaded zein nanoparticles may be a good candidate in bone regenerative medicine. More recently, zein electrospun fibrous scaffolds crosslinked with trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether were reported for bony tissue regeneration [96]. The in vitro assessment of the cryopreserved murine preosteoclast bone progenitor cells (MC3T3-E1) revealed a significantly high level of cellular growth and differentiation, irrespective of the osteoinduction factors in culture media.…”