Covalently Bonded N-Acetylcysteine-polyester Loaded in PCL Scaffolds for Enhanced Interactions with Fibroblasts

Abstract

Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is commonly used in devices for tissue reconstruction due to its biocompatibility and suitable mechanical properties. However, its high crystallinity and hydrophobicity do not favor cell adhesion and difficult polymer bioresorption. To improve these characteristics, the development of engineered scaffolds for tissue regeneration, based on poly(globalide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PGlCL) covalently bonded with N-acetylcysteine (PGlCL-NAC) was proposed. The scaffolds were obtained from polymer blends of PCL and PGlCL-NAC, using the electrospinning technique. The use of PGlCL-NAC allowed for the modification of the physical and chemical properties of PCL electrospun scaffolds, including an expressive reduction in the fiber's diameter, hydrophobicity, and crystallinity. All electrospun scaffolds showed no cytotoxicity against fibroblasts (McCoy cells). In vitro biocompatibility assays showed that all tested scaffolds provided high cell viability and proliferation in short-term (NRU, MTT, and nuclear morphology assays) and long-term (clonogenic assay) assays. Nevertheless, PGlCL-NAC based scaffolds have favored the survival and proliferation of the cells in comparison to PCL scaffolds. Cell adhesion on the scaffolds assessed by electronic microscopy images confirmed this behavior. These results suggest that the incorporation of PGlCL-NAC in scaffolds for tissue regeneration could be a promising strategy to improve cell−surface interactions and contribute to the development of more efficiently engineered biomedical devices.

Electrospun Poly(acrylic acid-co-4-styrene sulfonate) as Potential Drug-Eluting Scaffolds for Targeted Chemotherapeutic Delivery Systems on Gastric (AGS) and Breast (MDA-Mb-231) Cancer Cell Lines

“…It is important to comment that all EPnF meshes have contact angle values less than 90° with good reproducibility. This experimental finding is a key factor when it is required to use some material with biomedical applications because it has been described that materials with hydrophilic characteristics promote adhesion to the extracellular matrix and cell biocompatibility [ 38 , 39 , 40 ].…”

Collagen-decorated electrospun scaffolds of unsaturated copolyesters for bone tissue regeneration

“…The pristine copolymers (before functionalization) presented a band corresponding to the CO stretch at 1750 cm −1 and a second band stretching to C–O bonds at 1300 cm −1 , corresponding to ester groups on the polyester chemical composition. 5 By analyzing the ATR-FTIR data of functionalized copolymers, two main bands, located in the fingerprint and functional group regions, proved cysteine's presence on the polymer surface. These peaks are related to 1575 cm −1 and 3440 cm −1 , corresponding to the presence of primary amines.…”

“…3,4 In this context, electrospinning has emerged as a widely applied process to design scaffolds with topographical features, and microscale to nanoscale fibers with facile processability, allowing a high control of scaffold properties such as fiber diameter and scaffold porosity, resembling the natural ECM. [5][6][7][8] This technique also enables the interconnection between the porous fiber structures, facilitating cell migration and nutrient transportation during healing processes, matching the requirements for tissue engineering applications. 2 Regarding the materials applied to compose these 3D-assembled structures, aliphatic polyesters derived from macrolactones have gained attention owing to their suitable and tunable properties, such as biocompatibility and biodegradability.…”

Enzymatic Synthesis of Polyesters and Their Bioapplications: Recent Advances and Perspectives

“…There are several polyesters that fulfill some of the mentioned requirements for the construction of scaffold for tissue engineering applications: PEG, polycaprolactone (PCL), [ 237–239 ] PBS and PBSe based systems, [ 240–242 ] polyglycerol based polymers (synthesized from combination of glycerol and diacids), [ 243–245 ] among others, which have been proven to be ideal materials for their application in skin, nerve and cardiac tissue regeneration, besides others. However, in general all these polymers have been prepared via synthetic routes requiring of high reaction temperatures and the use of organic metals as catalyst, which may drag problems in their final applications.…”