Tough and flexible CNT–polymeric hybrid scaffolds for engineering cardiac constructs

Abstract

In the past few years, a considerable amount of effort has been devoted toward the development of biomimetic scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering. However, most of the previous scaffolds have been electrically insulating or lacked the structural and mechanical robustness to engineer cardiac tissue constructs with suitable electrophysiological functions. Here, we developed tough and flexible hybrid scaffolds with enhanced electrical properties composed of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) embedded aligned poly(glycerol sebacate):gelatin (PG) electrospun nanofibers. Incorporation of varying concentrations of CNTs from 0 to 1.5% within the PG nanofibrous scaffolds (CNT-PG scaffolds) notably enhanced fiber alignment and improved the electrical conductivity and toughness of the scaffolds while maintaining the viability, retention, alignment, and contractile activities of cardiomyocytes (CMs) seeded on the scaffolds. The resulting CNT-PG scaffolds resulted in stronger spontaneous and synchronous beating behavior (3.5-fold lower excitation threshold and 2.8-fold higher maximum capture rate) compared to those cultured on PG scaffold. Overall, our findings demonstrated that aligned CNT-PG scaffold exhibited superior mechanical properties with enhanced CM beating properties. It is envisioned that the proposed hybrid scaffolds can be useful for generating cardiac tissue constructs with improved organization and maturation.

Incorporation of Conductive Materials into Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications

“…Conductive GelMA-PdMGSMW hydrogel can be varied depending on the concentration of the submicro lines in a hydrogel, which allows for more effective adhesion of C2C12 cells and root canal formation contraction. Navaei et al developed a GelMA conductive hydrogel containing a UV-crosslinked gold nanorod (GNR) with improved biological and mechanical properties for cardiovascular tissue engineering ( Figure 14) [163]. GNR improved the mechanical strength and conductivity of hydrogels.…”

Fibers for hearts: A critical review on electrospinning for cardiac tissue engineering

“…Kharazila et al also incorporated CNTs in PGS/gelatin electrospun nanofibers improving the electrical conductivity along with the mechanical properties of the fibers without affecting negatively any biological properties. The resulting scaffolds showed enhanced beating properties for the cultured cardiac tissue [135].…”

DFT studies of CNT–functionalized uracil-acetate hybrids

“…The carrier roles of nanobased structures have been also expected to exactly deliver the drugs to the targeted receptor [11,12]. Therefore, studies of formations and properties of hybrids of nano-based structures and medicinal species have become the topics of several computational and experimental research works in recent years [13][14][15][16]. In addition to the benefits of nano-based structures for medicinal purposes, the hydrophobicity of non-polar nano-materials e.g., CNTs, could be significantly reduced in contribution with biological hybrids [17].…”