Characterization and Biological Evaluation of New Plga/Fibrin/Lignin Biocomposite Electrospun Scaffolds Publisher

Summary: A study found fibrin/lignin scaffolds boost stem cell growth, aiding tissue repair and drug delivery. #TissueEngineering #Biomaterials

Norouzi M¹ ; Rafienia M² ; Hosseini S¹
Source: Physica Scripta Published:2023

Abstract

In this study, we produced electrospun scaffolds from 10% pure PLGA solution, and 10% polyblend solutions of PLGA/Fibrin, PLGA/Lignin, and PLGA/Fibrin/Lignin with proportions of 9:1, 8:2, 7:3, 7:2:1, 6:2:2, and 5:2:3 and characterized them physiochemically and biologically. FTIR and EDX results verified the chemical composition of the fibers. All scaffolds exhibited homogenous nanostructures with fiber diameters ranging from 0.1 to 2.5 μm and the highest average fiber diameter belonged to PLGA/Lignin fibers. Increasing the lignin proportion led to a decrease in fibers diameter and a change in color to brown. Fibrin improved the hydrophobicity of the scaffolds, and the incorporation of fibrin, lignin, or fibrin/lignin improved the absorption capacity of the scaffolds (up to 91.7%). From day 45 onwards, fibrin-containing scaffolds started to degrade much faster. By day 90, PLGA/20%Fibrin/30%Lignin showed the highest degradation ratio of 82%, while PLGA/10%Lignin showed the lowest at 51.4%. All scaffolds exhibited high porosity percentage (over 78%), with porosity enhanced by increasing fibrin and decreasing lignin. The pure PLGA scaffold and PLGA/10%Lignin showed the highest stiffness and tensile strength, respectively. The addition of natural components gradually decreased the scaffolds’ tensile strength and fracture strain. MTT results showed higher absorbance reading at 490 nm for PLGA, PLGA/10%Fibrin, and all three PLGA/Lignin scaffolds from day 3 to day 7. On day 7, PLGA/10%Fibrin exhibited the highest cell viability, followed by PLGA/10%Lignin and PLGA/20%Fibrin/10%Lignin. SEM micrographs revealed the presence of h-ADSCs with spindle-like morphologies, attached and proliferated well on all scaffolds. PLGA/10%Fibrin, PLGA/10%Lignin, and PLGA/20%Fibrin/10%Lignin were selected as the preferred options from each set of scaffolds. Among them, PLGA/20%Fibrin/10%Lignin exhibited superior physical features and actively enhanced the biological responses of the cells due to its physio-mechanical signals and the advanced features of lignin, making it suitable for tissue engineering, wound dressing, drug delivery, and other biomedical applications. © 2023 IOP Publishing Ltd