Repurposing Laboratory Plastic into Functional Fibrous Scaffolds via Green Electrospinning for Cell Culture and...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Cell culture for tissue engineering generates significant plastic waste annually.
• Current methods rely heavily on non-biodegradable plastic consumables.
• There is a need for sustainable alternatives in laboratory practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an innovative and sustainable method for scaffold production.
• To repurpose spent tissue culture polystyrene into biocompatible microfiber scaffolds.
• To utilize environmentally friendly solvents for scaffold fabrication.

Main Methods:

• Developed a green electrospinning approach using dihydrolevoglucosenone (Cyrene) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC).
• Processed laboratory petri dishes into polymer dopes for electrospinning.
• Fabricated both aligned and non-aligned microfiber scaffolds.

Main Results:

• Scaffolds exhibited mechanical properties comparable to cancellous bone.
• MG63 osteoblast-like cells showed good viability, adhesion, and proliferation over 14 days.
• Confirmed osteogenic differentiation and mineral deposition on scaffolds.

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated the feasibility of repurposing polystyrene waste into sustainable tissue engineering scaffolds.
• The eco-friendly solvent-based approach supports cell growth and osteogenic differentiation.
• This method offers a pathway towards more sustainable practices in cell culture and tissue engineering, aligning with circular economy principles.