Processing, Characterization, and in Vivo Evaluation of Poly(l-lactic acid)-Fish Gelatin Electrospun Membranes for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

The development of biomaterials for application in advanced therapies requires thorough characterization of its biological behavior, which ultimately entails in vivo compatibility and performance assays. Electrospun fiber membranes of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and fish gelatin blends were produced and characterized, coupling the biomechanical features of PLLA with gelatin (GEL) biocompatibility. Fiber diameter was not affected by polymer blending, whereas the swelling degree increased with increasing GEL contents for values up to 566 ± 13%, behaving as a superhydrophilic material. Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) adhesion was favored in the PLLA-GEL membranes, and cell viability was not affected after 7 days in culture. Membranes were then evaluated for in vivo biocompatibility through subcutaneous implantation in a rat model, for up to 15 days. No significant differences between the biological behavior of PLLA, PLLA-GEL, and GEL electrospun membranes at 15 days postimplantation were verified, with attained inflammation scores supporting an acceptable tissue response, deeming them fit for further biological assays. This work demonstrates that fiber blends of PLLA and GEL present promising in vitro and in vivo characteristics to be explored for tissue engineering.

Incorporation of Layered Rectorite into Biocompatible Core–Sheath Nanofibrous Mats for Sustained Drug Delivery

“…The peaks of PEO at 830 and 1480 cm –1 corresponded to the rocking mode and the bending mode of methylene, respectively, and the 2896 cm –1 region was attributed to the C–H stretching mode . The peaks at 1040, 1126, 1449, and 1772 cm –1 in PLLA NFs were assigned to the stretching mode of C–CH 3 , rocking mode of −CH 3 , asymmetric bending mode of −CH 3 , and splitting patterns of C–O stretching, respectively . Notably, PEO-PLLA membranes displayed the characteristic peaks of both PEO and PLLA.…”

“…45 The peaks at 1040, 1126, 1449, and 1772 cm −1 in PLLA NFs were assigned to the stretching mode of C−CH 3 , rocking mode of −CH 3 , asymmetric bending mode of −CH 3 , and splitting patterns of C−O stretching, respectively. 46 Notably, PEO-PLLA membranes displayed the characteristic peaks of both PEO and PLLA. In addition, REC showed strong Raman scattering with two strong peaks centered at 1314 and 1607 cm −1 .…”

Photo-Crosslinkable Polymeric Coatings Providing Chemically Versatile Reactive Surfaces on Various Substrates

“…Therefore, we designed composite thin films by simply mixing MN/MG or MN/MD with a third component that can exhibit surface activity. fGel was selected because of its straightforward anchoring points for cell attachment, its chemical versatility to incorporate reactive groups, and its abundance and sustainability. ,− However, the primary amine of lysine in the fGel can react with DTC or glycidyl groups, making it challenging to prepare the composite thin film from the coating solution. To overcome this issue, we modified fGel to incorporate methacrylate units, which can act as crosslinkable units in the presence of a radical species, by reacting the primary amine with the glycidyl group in glycidyl methacrylate, i.e., fGelMA. ,, In this design, two crosslinking mechanisms are considered after UV light illumination: (i) addition of the released primary amine from NBOC in MN with DTC or glycidyl groups in the MD or MG chain and (ii) a radical-based reaction of the methacrylate in fGelMA (Scheme ) with the use of a photo-radical generator (LAP).…”