The Development of Porous Alginate/Elastin/PEG Composite Matrix for Cardiovascular Engineering

Abstract

The development of suitable three-dimensional matrices for the maintenance of cellular viability and differentiation is critical for applications in tissue engineering and cell biology. To this end, gel matrices of different proportions of alginate/elastin/polyethylene glycol (Alg/Ela/PEG) were prepared and examined. The composite matrix membranes were evaluated for their porous scaffold using SEM, enzymatic degradation and water content. An equal blend of Alg/Ela with a ratio of Alg/Ela: PEG (7:3) was selected for fabricating Alg/Ela/PEG scaffolds for this study. The Alg/Ela/PEG membranes fabricated at 20 degrees C and - 20 degrees C had a mean surface pore size of 35-45 microm. However, their ultrastructures had shown bigger pore structures (60-75 microm) compared to their surface. It is interesting to note that the membranes of Alg/Ela/PEG prepared at 20 degrees C had larger ultrastructural pores than that of membranes prepared at -20 degrees C. Further, the SEM studies revealed that in the absence of PEG the composite membranes of Alg/Ela formed with less porous structures. The water content of membranes prepared at 20 degrees C was higher with Alg/Ela/PEG (61.6 +/- 4.8%), compared to Alg/Ela (49.9 +/- 0.3%). The enzymatic degradation and water content studies also revealed that the membranes fabricated at - 20 degrees C had high water uptake and low enzymatic degradation, as that of the membranes prepared at 20 degreees C. In other words the larger pore structured membranes had less water content and high degradation profile. This study proposes that this novel composite matrix produces a hierarchical structure that is useful for generating tissue scaffolds for repairing the failing cardiac muscles. However, more detailed investigations with cytocompatibility studies are needed to find applications.

Fabricated Elastin

“…To overcome these problems, current strategies co‐electrospin elastin with natural proteins or synthetic polymers . Fabrication of these hybrid materials is a simple and cost‐effective process, which involves the physical blending of individual components at different ratios prior to electrospinning into nanofibrous materials with novel, complementary, and tunable mechanical properties .…”

“…Casting is another method used for the construction of elastin‐based composite materials, In this process, a solution is poured into a mold or on a substrate and allowed to solidify, such as by air drying. This technique has been employed to cast a porous membrane composed of alginate, elastin and PEG on a glass petri dish, followed by crosslinking using CaCl 2 /carbodiimide . Elastic patches have also been prepared in a similar manner using a combination of elastin, hyaluronan and silk.…”

Myocardial tissue engineering: the extracellular matrix☆

“…In this study sodium alginate was employed to form a solid porous matrix where the cell suspension was applied. These promising results with alginate as an ECM material were supplemented by others who introduced further ECM components to achieve more control over the matrix microarchitecture and degradation behavior in vivo [68]. Although as a single component not widely acknowledged in the field of cardiac tissue engineering, alginate might yet gain further recognition as an interesting element of a desired ECM.…”

Evaluation of polyelectrolyte complex-based scaffolds for mesenchymal stem cell therapy in cardiac ischemia treatment

“…This early cell death significantly decreases the efficacy of cell therapy. An alternative strategy to intraparenchymal cell injection is the use of tailored scaffolds providing a biomimetic and protective environment for MSCs [15,16]. This could improve MSC survival and, consequently, the enhance the beneficial effects related to the secretion of paracrine factors.…”

“…However, the efficacy of alginate-based materials is limited by their physical properties [23], and these materials need to be improved to control the macroporosity in the resulting scaffolds and to enhance mechanical performance. In addition, with the goal to take advantage exclusively of the paracrine activity of implanted cells, the adhesion properties of alginate scaffolds should be emphasized to optimize cellretention and promote cell proliferation [15]. Strategies to improve alginate properties may entail chemical modifications leading to the generation of potentially toxic reactive intermediates.…”