Thickness-Tunable Eggshell Membrane Hydrolysate Nanocoating with Enhanced Cytocompatibility and Neurite Outgrowth

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Interfacial Bioengineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Eggshell membrane is an underutilized natural biomaterial, often discarded as food waste.
• Existing research has not fully explored its potential in biomaterial applications.
• Marine biomaterials receive more attention compared to eggshell-derived materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To utilize eggshell membrane hydrolysate (ESMH) as a bioactive functional material.
• To develop thickness-tunable, layer-by-layer (LbL) nanocoatings using ESMH.
• To explore the cytocompatibility and neurochemical activity of these nanocoatings.

Main Methods:

• Enzymochemical hydrolysis of eggshell membrane to obtain ESMH.
• Fabrication of [Fe(III)-TA/ESMH] LbL films with tunable thickness.
• Assessment of cytocompatibility using HeLa cells and primary hippocampal neurons.
• Evaluation of neurochemical activity and neurite outgrowth acceleration.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated [Fe(III)-TA/ESMH] LbL films with ESMH as the outermost layer.
• Demonstrated excellent cytocompatibility of the films with both cell lines.
• Observed significant neurochemical activity, accelerating neurite outgrowth in neuron cultures.
• Confirmed the thickness-tunable nature of the LbL nanocoatings.

Conclusions:

• ESMH can be effectively used to create cytocompatible and bioactive nanocoatings.
• The developed LbL films show promise for accelerating neurite outgrowth, relevant for neural tissue engineering.
• This approach offers a versatile platform for various biomedical applications, including bioencapsulation and theranostics.