Bacterial cellulose nanofiber distribution on gelatin and silk fibroin scaffolds and the cell behavior

Abstract

This paper presents a simple strategy to adjust bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofiber distribution on the biomimetic 3D scaffolds by in situ bacteria culture on the protein scaffolds which were prepared by selecting gelatin (Gel) with positive charge and silk fibroin (SF) with negative charge. The protein scaffolds with different structures and properties were obtained by adjusting the proportion of Gel and SF. Due to the electrical attraction and repulsion of bacteria and protein, the density and distribution of bacteria on the protein scaffolds is obviously different. Thus, after in situ culture, protein/BC scaffolds with different nanofibers density and distribution from basically adhering to the pore wall to distributing in the middle pore were obtained, which make different cell shape and distribution. It is can be easily realized by adjusting the properties of scaffold materials to guide the growth of bacteria which provides a simple idea for the design of tissue engineering scaffolds applied in medical implants, cell supports and other tissue regeneration.