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Human Hair Keratin Composite Scaffold: Characterisation and Biocompatibility Study on NIH 3T3 Fibroblast Cells
Jamal Moideen Muthu Mohamed1, Ali Alqahtani2, Adel Al Fatease3
1Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, BIT Campus, Anna University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, India.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 28, 2021
Summary
Human hair keratin waste was transformed into a porous scaffold for soft tissue engineering. This keratin-based scaffold shows promise for effective wound healing applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Human hair keratin, a readily available waste product, presents an opportunity for developing novel biomaterials.
- Soft tissue engineering aims to create functional substitutes for damaged tissues, with wound healing being a critical application.
- Developing biocompatible and biodegradable scaffolds is essential for promoting cell growth and tissue regeneration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To transform human hair keratin waste into a functional scaffold for soft tissue engineering.
- To evaluate the physicochemical properties and drug-eluting capabilities of the keratin-based scaffold.
- To assess the scaffold's biocompatibility and potential for wound healing applications.
Main Methods:
- Keratin extraction from human hair using the Shindai method.
- Cross-linking of keratin with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and alginate dialdehyde.
- Scaffold fabrication via freeze-drying, incorporating gentamycin sulfate (GS) as a model drug.
- Comprehensive characterization including FTIR, SEM, DSC, TGA, XRD, swelling, water absorption, drug release, and cell viability (MTT) assays.
Main Results:
- The keratin scaffold exhibited significant water absorption (73.64 ± 14.29%) and swelling ability (68.93 ± 1.33%).
- Controlled release of gentamycin sulfate was observed, with 97.45 ± 4.57% and 93.86 ± 5.22% released at 16 hours for 1:4 and 1:3 scaffolds, respectively.
- Physicochemical analysis confirmed structural integrity, partial crystallinity, and strong thermal properties.
- The scaffold demonstrated excellent cell viability with the murine fibroblast cell line (NIH 3T3 cells).
Conclusions:
- The developed keratin-polyvinyl alcohol composite scaffold possesses favorable physicochemical properties for tissue engineering.
- The scaffold effectively releases an incorporated model drug and supports fibroblast cell growth.
- The composite scaffold, particularly the 1:4 ratio, shows significant potential for application in wound healing.
