Development of a novel in vitro cell model for evaluation of nanofiber mats immunogenicity

Immunological safety of nanofibers remains poorly reported within the scientific literature and lacks specific in vitro testing models distinct from those used to test nanoparticles. To address the challenges of currently used conventional setups being described in the literature, we developed a novel in vitro model for nanofiber mats immunogenicity testing, which enables standardization of tested surface area, excludes nanofiber mat edges, and ensures stable contacts of cells with nanofibers during the experiment. The effect of nanofibers was assessed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by measuring their metabolic activity using MTS cell proliferation assay, where key performance parameters, i.e. cell number, phytohemagglutinin-L (PHA-L) concentration, incubation time and cell lysis were optimized. Repeatability of results obtained with non-activated and PHA-L-activated PBMCs in contact with differently thick polycaprolactone nanofiber mats was compared using both models. Our model provided more reproducible results with lower variability, exhibiting its higher reliability and accuracy than the conventional one. Furthermore, results showed the presence of thicker mats resulted in reduced metabolic activity and PBMC proliferation without any observed cytotoxicity, providing additional insights into their non-immunogenic characteristics. The developed model enables more accurate biological assessment that can support new guidelines for in vitro nanofiber testing and formulation.