Growth of Human Dermal Fibroblasts on Polyvinyl Alcohol-Silk Fibroin Nanofiber Scaffold

Abstract

Skin tissue engineering is a developing technology to heal severe wounds. Combining polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and silk fibroin (SF) nanofibers is a promising method of developing a skin scaffold because the resulting structure mimics collagen fibers. The aim of this research was to study the growth of human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) on a polyvinyl alcohol-silk fibroin (PVA-SF) nanofiber scaffold that was produced by electrospinning. Morphological characterization and chemical analysis of the scaffold were performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR), and contact angle measurement. The biocompatibility of the scaffold was tested by MTT cytotoxicity assay, SEM analysis, adherence ratio calculation, and analysis of the HDF growth curve for 9 days. The FTIR results confirmed the presence of SF and PVA. The average fiber diameter and pore size of the PVA scaffold were greater than those of the PVA-SF scaffold. Both scaffolds had hydrophilic properties and were not cytotoxic. Thus, HDF can attach and grow on both types of scaffold better than HDF seeded on a polystyrene plate. In conclusion, the addition of SF to the PVA nanofibers caused bead formation, which affected the substrate topography, decreased hydrophilicity and also decreased the fiber diameter and pore size in the nanofiber scaffold compared to the PVA nanofiber scaffold without SF addition. SF addition increases cell attachment to the nanofiber scaffold and has potential to facilitate HDF cell growth.

Fibroin and Spidroin Thin Film to Support the Attachment and Spread of Human Dermal Fibroblast: The Potency of Skin Tissue Engineering

“…The results here are not much different from those of other studies. The increased percentage of water absorption can be related to the increase in hydrophilic groups present in the scaffold [18]. This is also supported by the contact angle data, which shows that the 70F10SPG sample had the lowest (most hydrophilic) contact angle.…”

“…The fibroin and spidroin dissolved in formic acid, PVA and glycerin were homogenized for 3 hours and poured into a mold. The mold was placed in a fume hood to evaporate the solvent for 24 hours [15,17,18].…”

Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Silk Fibroin/Ag-NPs Composite Nanofibers as a Substrate for MG-63 Cells’ Growth

“…Scaffolds fabricated by electrospinning have advantages as a structure that is very porous, has a high surface area-to-volume ratio, and includes tiny fibrous interconnects. These characteristics encourage cell adhesion, proliferation, and migration to form new bone tissue [7,8]. In electrospinning, aligned or random scaffolds are produced from a polymer solution to which a high voltage is applied.…”

“…Fibroin has attracted increased attention in recent years for its applications in bone tissue engineering because it possesses high biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, microbial resistance, a low degradation rate, high oxygen and water vapor permeability, and structural integrity [1,[7][8][9]11]. However, fibroin is brittle in the dry state, so it can be easily broken, but its mechanical properties can be improved by combining it with other polymers [1].…”

Wet Electrospinning and its Applications: A Review

“…Electrospinning ( Figure 1A), is a method to produce 2D or 3D nanofibers, from a natural or synthetic polymer solution, where a high voltage is applied to generate aligned or random fibers with diameters from nanometers to micrometers [6]- [8]. This allows to find scaffolds with unique characteristics, such as a very large surface area in relation to volume, high porosity, a morphology similar at natural extracellular matrix (ECM), interconnected pores and superior mechanical performance to promote regeneration, in tissue engineering through cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation, to create new artificial tissues as substitutes [6], [9], [10].…”