Development of bacterial cellulose-based polymeric cryogel scaffold as an eco-friendly biomaterial

Cryogels with interconnected macroporous structures are promising three-dimensional scaffolds that facilitate cell infiltration, nutrient transport, and tissue development. This study compared two cryogel systems: gelatin methacryloyl cryogels prepared by free-radical polymerization and oxidized bacterial cellulose-gelatin cryogels synthesized through a green, initiator-free Schiff-base crosslinking method. Both scaffolds exhibited favorable elasticity and biocompatibility, but oxidized bacterial cellulose-gelatin cryogels maintained stable pore structures upon rehydration and showed superior mechanical integrity due to the nanofibrous cellulose framework. Murine preosteoblasts cultured on oxidized bacterial cellulose-gelatin scaffolds exhibited enhanced proliferation and osteogenic differentiation, attributed to optimal pore size and the absence of cytotoxic crosslinking residues. Furthermore, Bovine muscle satellite cells exhibited better spreading and a denser PAX7-positive distribution on oxidized bacterial cellulose-gelatin cryogels, suggesting that the stable porous architecture may support satellite cell maintenance and expansion. These findings demonstrate that tuning pore architecture and using biocompatible crosslinking chemistry significantly improve cryogel scaffold performance. The oxidized bacterial cellulose-gelatin cryogel presents a promising, versatile platform for both hard and soft tissue engineering applications.