Biocompatibility of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) nanofibers for skin tissue engineering

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) a biodegradable polymer, was electrospun to obtain defect-free nanofibers. The structural similarity of PHBV nanofibers and the extracellular matrix in skin may present well for fibroblast cell adhesion and proliferation. The average fiber diameter of the electrospun fibers was 583 +/- 90 nm. The potential of PHBV scaffolds for human keratinocytes (HaCaT) adhesion, proliferation and gene expression were evaluated. Our results demonstrated that PHBV nanofibers favor HaCaT adhesion and proliferation. After 14 days of culture, loricrin and keratin-1 gene expression were significantly higher when compared to 3 and 7 days (p < 0.05). The expression of genes associated with T lymphocyte activation (HLA-DRB, thymosin beta 10 (h-Tim)) and IL-2 mediated lymphocyte activation genes (h-Tim, Tumour Rejection Antigen (TRA 1), nRap 2) were investigated in human lymphocyte cultured on PHBV nanofibers. T Lymphocyte activation and IL-2 mediated lymphocyte activation genes were down-regulated after 48 and 72 hours of culture. After 24, 48 and 72 hours of culture there was no inflammatory cytokines production by the cultured lymphocytes. Thus, our results confirm the biocompatibility of PHBV nanofibers and suggest that consideration can be given to the use of PHBV nanofibers for skin tissue engineering applications.