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Bio-engineered electrospun nanofibrous membranes using cartilage extracellular matrix particles
Elahe Masaeli1, Fereshte Karamali, Shahriar Loghmani
1Department of Cellular Biotechnology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran. mh.nasr-esfahani@royaninstitute.org elahe.masaeli@royaninstitute.org.
Journal of Materials Chemistry. B
|April 9, 2020
Summary
Bio-engineered membranes combining decellularized ECM particles with nanofibers promote cartilage tissue regeneration. These scaffolds enhance cell growth and differentiation, offering a promising, non-immunogenic solution for cartilage repair in regenerative medicine.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Regenerative Medicine
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Decellularized scaffolds mimic natural tissue environments for cell proliferation and differentiation.
- Polymeric nanofibrous membranes resemble extracellular matrix (ECM) but lack sufficient biological cues.
- Bio-engineered membranes are needed to improve cellular response and tissue regeneration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and evaluate bio-engineered membranes for cartilage regeneration.
- To covalently immobilize decellularized ECM (DECM) particles onto electrospun nanofibers.
- To assess the chondrogenic potential of these composite scaffolds using human cells.
Main Methods:
- Chemical decellularization of human nasal septum cartilage constructs (hNSCs) to obtain DECM particles.
- Mechanical processing of DECM to achieve a mean particle size of 5.06 ± 2.70 μm.
- Functionalization of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) nanofibrous scaffolds with DECM particles.
Main Results:
- Bio-engineered PHA scaffolds successfully incorporated DECM particles, mimicking cartilage ECM.
- Human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) and human primary chondrocytes (hPChs) cultured on scaffolds showed increased collagen formation.
- Significant upregulation of chondrogenic marker expression was observed in cells cultured on the composite scaffolds after 21 days.
Conclusions:
- The developed bio-engineered scaffolds are non-immunogenic and support cell proliferation and differentiation.
- These composite materials show great potential for cartilage reconstruction and regenerative medicine applications.
- This approach offers a promising strategy for creating advanced tissue-engineered replacements.
