Formation of Collagen−Glycosaminoglycan Blended Nanofibrous Scaffolds and Their Biological Properties

Abstract

The development of blended collagen and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) scaffolds can potentially be used in many soft tissue engineering applications since the scaffolds mimic the structure and biological function of native extracellular matrix (ECM). In this study, we were able to obtain novel nanofibrous collagen-GAG scaffolds by electrospinning collagen blended with chondroitin sulfate (CS), a widely used GAG, in a mixed solvent of trifluoroethanol and water. The electrospun collagen-GAG scaffold with 4% CS (COLL-CS-04) exhibited a uniform fiber structure with nanoscale diameters. A second collagen-GAG scaffold with 10% CS consisted of smaller diameter fibers but exhibited a broader diameter distribution due to the different solution properties in comparison with COLL-CS-04. After cross-linking with glutaraldehyde vapor, the collagen-GAG scaffolds became more biostable and were resistant to collagenase degradation. This is evidently a more favorable environment allowing increased proliferation of rabbit conjunctiva fibroblast on the scaffolds. Incorporation of CS into collagen nanofibers without cross-linking did not increase the biostability but still promoted cell growth. The potential of applying the nanoscale collagen-GAG scaffold in tissue engineering is significant since the nanodimension fibers made of natural ECM mimic closely the native ECM found in the human body. The high surface area characteristic of this scaffold may maximize cell-ECM interaction and promote tissue regeneration faster than other conventional scaffolds.

The Use of Natural Polymers in Tissue Engineering: A Focus on Electrospun Extracellular Matrix Analogues

“…Zhong et al developed blended scaffolds of collagen and GAG, cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. These scaffolds allowed for increased proliferation of rabbit conjunctiva FBs [28]. Our group has electrospun collagen-GAG blends by adding the GAG directly to the electrospinning solution or by dissolving the GAG at higher concentrations in distilled water prior to blending with the electrospinning solution.…”

A review on electrospun bio-based polymers for water treatment

“…Another copolymer often used to enhance the spinnability of collagen without toxic solvents is poly(L-lactide-co-"-caprolactone) [221]. Zhong et al [222] prepared collagen-glycosaminoglycan scaffolds through electrospinning in a mixture of TFE and water, followed by glutaraldehyde vapour crosslinking. The biostability of the smooth nanofibres with a mean diameter of 260 nm was improved.…”

The Future of Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering in Cardiovascular Disease: The New Era of Biological Therapeutics

“…contraction in the case of cardiomyocytes, secretory in the case of pancreatic islet cells), these cells have to interact with their environment. This can be secretion of extracellular matrix, or maintenance of tissue and organ homeostasis through regulatory feedback mechanisms (Leor J 2004;Zammaretti P 2004;Leor J 2005;Zhong S 2005;. Therefore, selecting the appropriate biomaterials and suitable cell source will be critical for the success of this strategy.…”