Hybrid Sponge-Like Scaffolds Based on Ulvan and Gelatin: Design, Characterization and Evaluation of Their Potential Use in Bone Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Ulvan, a bioactive natural sulfated polysaccharide, and gelatin, a collagen-derived biopolymer, have attracted interest for the preparation of biomaterials for different biomedical applications, due to their demonstrated compatibility for cell attachment and proliferation. Both ulvan and gelatin have exhibited osteoinductive potential, either alone or in combination with other materials. In the current work, a series of novel hybrid scaffolds based on crosslinked ulvan and gelatin was designed, prepared and characterized. Their mechanical performance, thermal stability, porosity, water-uptake and in vitro degradation ability were assessed, while their morphology was analyzed through scanning electron microscopy. The prepared hybrid ulvan/gelatin scaffolds were characterized by a highly porous and interconnected structure. Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs) were seeded in selected ulvan/gelatin hybrid scaffolds and their adhesion, survival, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation efficiency was evaluated. Overall, it was found that the prepared hybrid sponge-like scaffolds could efficiently support mesenchymal stem cells’ adhesion and proliferation, suggesting that such scaffolds could have potential uses in bone tissue engineering.

Development and Characterization of Ulvan Polysaccharides-Based Hydrogel Films for Potential Wound Dressing Applications

“…to have weak mechanical strength. 50 As compared to our work, Pansara et al 48 reported that the TS and EB of chitosan wound dressing films in their study were 1.10-1.87 N/mm2 and 10.56-14.44%, respectively.…”

“…It could be a result of breaking the C-H bonds and C-O-C glycoside bonds. 50 An exothermic peak appearing at around 230°C in all formulas is attributed to the degradation of ulvan. The confirmed result of ulvan degradation and UHF is shown in the results of the TGA analysis.…”

Biomaterials from the sea: Future building blocks for biomedical applications

“…Likewise, hybrid sponge-like scaffolds have been prepared using ulvan and gelatin. The sponge-like scaffold possessed both porous and interconnected structures, with excellent bioactivity, making it a valuable biomaterial in bone tissue engineering [ 22 ]. Taken together, these studies indicate that marine-derived materials are capable of enhancing the properties of these raw materials and hold great promise for future applications.…”

The Marine Polysaccharide Ulvan Confers Potent Osteoinductive Capacity to PCL-Based Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications

“…Due to its chemical similarity to glycosaminoglycans, intrinsic cytocompatibility and gelling properties, ulvan has been utilized for the preparation of various hybrid scaffolds, polymeric nanofibers, 2D crosslinked membranes, multilayer nanofilms and polyelectrolyte complexes for an array of biomedical applications [ 38 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. Over the last years, the osteoinductive potential of ulvan has attracted the attention of researchers for the development of scaffolds for osseous tissue regeneration [ 32 , 58 , 59 , 60 ].…”

“…In the framework of our ongoing research towards the development of ulvan-based biomaterials [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 60 ], we report herein the results of our investigations on the osteoinductive ability of ulvan, utilized in the preparation of a series of hybrid ulvan/PCL (UP) scaffolds. We hypothesized that the incorporation of ulvan into the PCL matrix could efficiently promote the attachment and proliferation of seeded cells, without negatively affecting the mechanical properties of the designed scaffolds.…”