Incorporation of SPION‐casein core‐shells into silk‐fibroin nanofibers for cardiac tissue engineering

Abstract

Mimicking the structure of extracellular matrix (ECM) of myocardium is necessary for fabrication of functional cardiac tissue. The superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs, Fe3O4), as new generation of magnetic nanoparticles (NPs), are highly intended in biomedical studies. Here, SPION NPs (1 wt%) were synthesized and incorporated into silk‐fibroin (SF) electrospun nanofibers to enhance mechanical properties and topography of the scaffolds. Then, the mouse embryonic cardiac cells (ECCs) were seeded on the scaffolds for in vitro studies. The SPION NPs were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). SF nanofibers were characterized after incorporation of SPIONs by SEM, TEM, water contact angle measurement, and tensile test. Furthermore, cytocompatibility of scaffolds was confirmed by 3‐(4, 5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. SEM images showed that ECCs attached to the scaffolds with elongated morphologies. Also, the real‐time PCR and immunostaining studies approved upregulation of cardiac functional genes in ECCs seeded on the SF/SPION‐casein scaffolds including GATA‐4, cardiac troponin T, Nkx 2.5, and alpha‐myosin heavy chain, compared with the ones in SF. In conclusion, incorporation of core‐shells in SF supports cardiac differentiation, while has no negative impact on ECCs' proliferation and self‐renewal capacity.

Protein-Based Nanoparticles as Drug Delivery Systems

“…In addition, these particles were able to destroy tumor cells with hyperthermia caused by light in both in vivo and in vitro scenarios. Natural compounds have been highlighted for their ability to treat various diseases, such as cardiovascular disease [ 30 ]. However, due to their low solubility and potential effects on systemic metabolism, they are less therapeutic.…”

Natural Biomaterials for Cardiac Tissue Engineering: A Highly Biocompatible Solution

“…They significantly enhanced the survival of BMSCs and prevented the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes as well as stimulated the secretion of important growth factors for cardiac repair. The literature reveals that in the last few years, there has been an increasing interest in the development of silk-based scaffold materials (234)(235)(236)(237)(238)(239)(240)(241)(242)(243). For example, Tsui et al (234) produced electroconductive acid-modified silk fibroin-poly(pyrrole) (AMSF + PPy) scaffolds patterned with nanoscale ridges to enhance structural and functional properties of cultured human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (234) ( Figure 8C).…”

Silk‐Based Biomaterials for Cardiac Tissue Engineering

“…[142] It is typically sutured or glued to the epicardium in the injured area. In 1999, Li et al first developed SF/PCL Film BMSCs None Film with low crystallinity promoted cardiac differentiation of BMSCs [ 160] SF/PCL/HA/GRGD Film BMSCs None Enhanced BMSCs proliferation and cardiac differentiation [ 158] SF/P(LLA-CL)/AV Nanofibrous scaffolds CMs None Enhanced CMs proliferation and cardiac proteins expression [ 156] SF/P(LLA-CL) Nanofibrous scaffolds c-kit + BM cells MI C57BL/6 mice Improving c-kit + BM cells proliferation, reduced infarct size, and improved cardiac function [ 157] SF/SPIONs/casein Nanofibrous scaffolds ECCs None Promoted survival, proliferation, and cardiac differentiation of ECCs [ 161] an engineered cardiac patch by seeding fetal rat ventricular cells onto commercially available gelatin mesh, and then implanted it in a rat cardiac cryoinjury model. [143] For a cardiac patch, the ideal scaffold needs to have physiologically accurate microstructures that allow cells to burrow into the native tissue, provide mechanical and electrophysiological properties that support dynamics of a beating heart without inducing reentrant arrhythmia, and have a proper biocompatibility and degradation rate.…”