Preparation, Characterization, and In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Cellulose/Soy Protein Isolate Composite Sponges

Abstract

A series of cellulose/soy protein isolate (SPI) sponges was prepared using a freeze-drying process. The effect of the SPI content on the structure of the sponges was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It showed that the sponges were porous in structure, and that the size of the pores increased and the thickness of the pore walls decreased as the SPI content of the sponges increased. The biocompatibility and biodegradability of the sponges were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The cell culture experiment and SEM observations showed that L929 fibroblast cells grew and spread well on the surface and cross-section of the composite sponges. The results from MTT (3-[4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazoly1]-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) assay indicated that the cell viability of L929 cultured in extracts from SPI-containing sponges was higher than that from the pure cellulose sponge. The historical analysis and SEM observation revealed that the SPI-containing sponges implanted from 1 to 8 months in rats exhibited better in vivo biocompatibility and biodegradability than the pure cellulose sponge. This was due to the incorporation of SPI into cellulose and to the freeze-drying process which formed large pores and thin pore walls in the composite sponges, promoting the migration of cells and tissue into the sponges, leading to gradual fusing with the implants. The new cellulose/SPI sponges thus have potential applications as biomaterials with good biocompatibility and biodegradability.

Ecomaterials Based on Food Proteins and Polysaccharides

“…L929 fibroblast cells could grow and spread well on the surface and cross-section of the composite sponges. 193 The cell viability of L929 cultured in extracts from SPI-containing sponges is higher than that from the pure cellulose sponge (Fig. 20).…”

“…For example, usage of ionic liquid 58,59 for compatibilizing the biopolymers and fabrications of nanofibrous films and nanogels may be representatives of the development trend of this area. Except for conventional applications such as edible packages and biodegradable materials, the protein/polysaccharide ecomaterials may find their potential applications in biomaterials 57,107,121,123,182,193 such as scaffolds for tissue engineering 194 and microspheres for controlled drug release 195 with an excellent combination of safety and biodegradability. In addition to film and coating by the wet method and ecomaterials by the dry method, traditional spinning 91 and more recently electrospinning [54][55][56][57] show the advance in fibrous articles with potential applications.…”

“…Cell viability of L929 fibroblasts cultured in the extracts from cellulose/SPI sponges (CSS-n with n corresponding to SPI content in the sponge; CSS-0 representing pure cellulose sponge) and SPI powder 193. © SAGE.…”

Biomedical applications of soy protein: A brief overview

“…This fact is because of the larger pore size and thinner wall of pores obtained by using SPI. L929 fibroblast cells were seen to penetrate, spread and proliferate better in those membranes and the viability of cells was shown to be higher than that in pure cellulose sponges, making the scaffolds attractive for bone and cartilage tissue engineering.…”

Cellulose/soy protein isolate composite membranes: Evaluations of in vitro cytocompatibility with Schwann cells and in vivo toxicity to animals

“…The absorbance values were read at a test wavelength of 570 nm on a multi-well microplate reader (EL 312e Biokinetics reader, Biotek Instruments). Cell viability was calculated using the following equation [13]:…”