Polycaprolactone and Bovine Serum Albumin Based Nanofibers for Controlled Release of Nerve Growth Factor

Abstract

Tissue engineering approaches for peripheral nerve regeneration employ biodegradable scaffolds coupled with growth factors for improved performance in regeneration of large nerve injuries. Electrospun nanofibers provide a versatile platform for fabrication of scaffolds with extracellular matrix like architecture and increased surface area. Incorporation of growth factors in nanofibers have been previously demonstrated using oil in water emulsion techniques but are associated with burst release and loss of valuable growth factor. Here, we show a novel blend of polycaprolactone and bovine serum albumin (BSA) to form nanofibers containing nerve growth factors. The BSA helps in overcoming the most common drawbacks associated with hydrophobic polymers such as reduced loading efficiency, long degradation periods, and burst release. The controlled release of nerve growth factor (NGF) from the nanofibers was evaluated using enzyme linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) and PC12 based bioassay over a 28 day time period. A sustained release of NGF was obtained for at least 28 days. PC12 bioassays confirmed the bioactivity of the NGF, and showed that the released NGF was sufficient to induce neurite outgrowth from PC12 cells throughout the period of release, therefore, demonstrating the successful incorporation and controlled release potential of PCL BSA scaffolds.

Core–sheath structured fibers with pDNA polyplex loadings for the optimal release profile and transfection efficiency as potential tissue engineering scaffolds

“…The released BMP-2 led to higher calcium deposition and up-regulation of BMP-2 transcript levels compared with the control [9]. Valmikinathan et al indicated that nerve growth factors encapsulated in electrospun fibers induced the differentiation of PC12 cells [10]. Although in our previous work maintenance of the structural integrity and bioactivity of the protein incorporated into electrospun fibers was achieved through emulsion electrospinning [11], controllable release with minimal burst release and bioactivity preservation over a long period represent major challenges for growth factor-loaded fibrous scaffolds [12].…”

Commercializing Electrospun Scaffolds For Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Tissue Engineering Applications

“…Two variants of the electrospinning process existsolution and melt. In solution electrospinning, the polymer is dissolved in a liquid solvent [32] with other components being mixed into polymer solution to further add bio-functionalities, including small molecules and macromolecules, such as proteins [34,48,55,[57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64]. By contrast, melt electrospinning generates a liquid polymer by heating the material until it liquifies [53].…”

EGF-loaded nanofibrous scaffold for skin tissue engineering applications

“…To prepare water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion, span 80 (Sorbitan Monooleate) in a 5 wt% ratio to the polymer weight was added into the polymer solution and afterwards, EGF solution with a concentration of 0.1 wt% (with respect to PLGA mass) in phosphate buffer saline (PBS, 50 mM, pH 7.4, BSA 1 wt%) as the aqueous phase was added dropwise into the polymer solution under stirring at 1000 rpm. BSA can act as a protector of the growth factor [15] and span 80 is utilized as a non-ionic and non-toxic surfactant in order to stabilize the emulsion [16].…”