Polysaccharide–Protein Multilayers Based on Chitosan–Fibrinogen Assemblies for Cardiac Cell Engineering

Abstract

The cell and tissue culture substrates play a pivotal role in the regulation of cell‐matrix and cell‐cell interactions. The surface properties of the materials control a wide variety of cell functions. Amongst various methods, layer‐by‐layer (LbL) assembly is a versatile surface coating technique for creating controllable bio‐coatings. Here, polysaccharide/protein multilayers are proposed, which are fabricated by immersive LbL assembly and based on the chitosan/fibrinogen pair for improving the adhesion and spreading of cardiomyocytes. Two approaches in LbL assembly are employed for clarifying the effect of the bilayers order and their concentration on cardiomyocytes viability and morphology. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements show that the adsorption of the biopolymers is enhanced during the LbL deposition in a synergistic manner. Contact angle measurements indicate that the multilayers are alternating from less to more hydrophilic behavior depending on the biopolymer that is added last. Confocal microscopy with immunostained fibrinogen reveals that the amount of the protein is higher when the concentration of the immersion solution is increased, however, for low solution concentration it is speculated that interdigitation between the separate biopolymer layers takes place. This work motivates the use of fibrinogen in polysaccharide/protein multilayers for enhanced cytocompatibility in cardiac tissue engineering.

Layer-by-layer assembly methods and their biomedical applications

“…Chitosan/fibrinogen multilayers have been fabricated for improving the adhesion and spreading of cardiomyocytes. 79 It was reported that a pure fibrinogen coating was sufficient for cell adhesion and spreading, but chitosan tuned the absorbed fibrinogen amount, facilitating the identification of the optimal surface properties for cell proliferation. Another method for constructing cell regulation LbL films is using LbL film as a delivery reservoir for bioactive molecules.…”

Chitosan-Based Scaffolds for the Treatment of Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review

“…Each cell implantation strategy allows for restoring the tissues and functions of failing organs [ 7 ]. Regenerative tissue engineering using scaffolds based on natural or synthetic biopolymers [ 8 , 9 ] has been successfully applied in the regeneration of osseous [ 10 ], epithelial [ 11 ] and muscular [ 12 ] tissues.…”

Examining layer‐by‐layer assembly of polyelectrolyte‐drug interactions using Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation

“…The investigation revealed that an increase in concentration led to enhanced protein adsorption and these results were valuable for optimizing the surface properties of biomaterials applicable to cardiac tissue engineering. 45 Concerning the layer stability of the LbL films, they may decompose under simulants such as external salt addition and pH. 46 If an LbL film is exposed to a salt solution, counterions participate in extrinsic charge compensation.…”