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Postproduction Processing of Electrospun Fibres for Tissue Engineering
Published on: August 9, 2012
Quantification of protein incorporated into electrospun polycaprolactone tissue engineering scaffolds
Nicole E Zander1, Joshua A Orlicki, Adam M Rawlett
1US Army Research Laboratory, Weapons and Materials Research Directorate, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21005, United States. nicole.e.zander.civ@mail.mil
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|March 14, 2012
Summary
Surface modification of polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun fibers using air-plasma treatment and laminin incorporation enhances cell compatibility. Increased protein concentration on PCL scaffolds positively correlates with neurite outgrowth in neuron-like cells.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Surface modification is crucial for synthetic tissue engineering scaffolds to improve hydrophilicity and cellular interactions.
- Plasma treatment enhances surface hydrophilicity, while biomolecule incorporation guides cellular behavior like adhesion and differentiation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To modify oriented polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun fibers via air-plasma treatment and covalent laminin attachment.
- To control and quantify the amount of laminin incorporated onto the fiber surface.
- To evaluate the effect of protein concentration on neuron-like cell neurite outgrowth.
Main Methods:
- Air-plasma treatment of PCL electrospun fibers.
- Covalent attachment of laminin to the plasma-treated fibers.
- Quantification of protein coverage using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), solid-state UV-Vis spectroscopy, and fluorescence assays.
- Assessment of neurite outgrowth using neuron-like PC12 cells.
Main Results:
- Protein coverage increased nearly linearly with protein solution concentration until monolayer formation.
- Multilayer protein coverage was observed at specific concentrations (25-50 μg/mL) via XPS and one fluorescence assay.
- UV-Vis spectroscopy indicated multilayer coverage at lower protein concentrations.
- Neurite outgrowth rates were positively correlated with increasing surface protein concentration.
Conclusions:
- Surface modification of PCL scaffolds with laminin can be controlled by varying protein concentration and reaction time.
- Optimized surface functionalization promotes enhanced cellular response, specifically neurite outgrowth.
- This approach offers a method for tailoring biomaterial surfaces for specific tissue engineering applications.
