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Published on: May 2, 2016
Electrically conductive gold nanoparticle-chitosan thermosensitive hydrogels for cardiac tissue engineering
Payam Baei1, Sasan Jalili-Firoozinezhad2, Sareh Rajabi-Zeleti3
1Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran; Cardiovascular Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, Iran.
This study presents a new chitosan-gold nanoparticle hydrogel for cardiac tissue engineering. The conductive hydrogel supports mesenchymal stem cell growth and promotes cardiac differentiation, offering potential for myocardial regeneration.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Injectable hydrogels are essential for cardiac tissue engineering, requiring electromechanical properties similar to the myocardium.
- Chitosan (CS) is a versatile biopolymer for hydrogel development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a thermosensitive, conductive hydrogel using chitosan and gold nanoparticles (GNPs) for cardiac tissue engineering.
- To investigate the effect of GNPs on hydrogel properties and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) behavior.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of chitosan-gold nanoparticle (CS-GNP) hydrogels with varying GNP concentrations.
- Culturing of MSCs within CS-GNP scaffolds for 14 days.
- Assessment of cell viability, proliferation, migration, and cardiomyogenic differentiation using immunohistochemistry.
Main Results:
- CS-GNP hydrogels exhibited tunable gelation and electrical conductivity based on GNP concentration.
- Scaffolds supported MSC viability, metabolism, migration, and proliferation.
- Enhanced cardiomyogenic differentiation of MSCs was observed in CS-GNP hydrogels compared to CS alone.
Conclusions:
- Incorporating electro-conductive GNPs into CS hydrogels significantly improves myocardial construct properties.
- These CS-GNP hydrogels show promise for cardiac tissue regeneration and other electroactive tissue engineering applications.
