In vivo evaluation of whey protein-based biofilms as scaffolds for cutaneous cell cultures and biomedical applications

Abstract

This study evaluated the toxicity, biodegradability and immunogenicity of newly developed whey protein-based biofilms for possible use as biomaterials for medical applications. Biofilms were prepared using (A) a whey protein isolate plasticized with either diethylene glycol (DEG) or glycerol (GLY), and (B) beta-lactoglobulin (betaLGA) plasticized with DEG. The biofilms were implanted subcutaneously into Balb/c mice. Analyses were performed at various time points. At 15, 30 and 60 days post-implantation, no necrotic zones or exudates were present at the recipient sites. The biofilms began to degrade as early as 15 days post-implantation, as evidenced by erosion and crumbling. The macroscopic observations were supported by tissue analyses revealing no tissue necrosis or degradation and confirming that the biodegradation of the biofilms began as early as 15 days post-implantation and was almost complete after 60 days. The biodegradation was accompanied by significant leukocyte infiltration at 15 days which significantly decreased at 60 days. The absence of splenomagaly in the implanted mice confirms that these biofilms were not immunogenic. Whey protein-based biofilms are biocompatible and biodegradable and may be of interest for medical applications such as scaffolds for cutaneous cell cultures and skin recovery in burn patients.

Novel multicomponent organic–inorganic WPI/gelatin/CaP hydrogel composites for bone tissue engineering

“…After incubation, WPI/gelatin hydrogel showed significantly higher porosity and surface area than material before soaking in SBF, indicating degradation process of polymer matrix. Rouabhia, Gilbert, Wang, & Subirade () showed that WPI‐based films underwent almost complete degradation within 60 days after subcutaneous implantation into Balb/c mice. Because of different resorption time of individual components (WPI, gelatin, CaP phase), resulting composite hydrogels may show multistep degradation process in vivo.…”

“…Resulting films have been shown to support attachment and growth of normal human keratinocytes and fibroblasts isolated from skin. Furthermore, subcutaneous implantation of the films into Balb/c mice revealed that materials were not toxic and immunogenic as well as did not provoke fibrous encapsulation (Rouabhia et al, ).…”

Zein‐based composites in biomedical applications

“…Protein‐based biodegradable polymers are being widely used in biomedical applications since they exhibit superior biocompatibility especially those that present similarity to the extracellular matrix components . Such biopolymers can be classified as animal‐sourced protein‐based (e.g., casein, whey, albumin, keratin, collagen, and fibrin) and plant‐sourced protein‐based (e.g., wheat, soy, yeast, starch, and zein) biodegradable polymers. Compared to other plant‐based proteins, zein has significant and unique properties.…”

Structure–function characteristics of the biomaterials based on milk-derived proteins

“…This indicated that the protein containing PCL is not only non-toxic to the L929 cells, but may also enhance the cell proliferation. This further augments the recent in vivo finding of non-toxicity or immunogenicity of the diethylene glycerol plasticized whey protein and ␤-lactoglobulin biofilms [39]. However, to further verify these findings, the biomaterials were tested with the primary human keratinocytes.…”