Abstract
The aim of this study is the analysis and characterization of a hydrolyzed keratin-based biomaterial and its processing using electrospinning technology to develop in vitro tissue models. This biomaterial, extracted from poultry feathers, was mixed with type A porcine gelatin and cross-linked with γ-glycidyloxy-propyl-trimethoxy-silane (GPTMS) to be casted initially in the form of film and characterized in terms of swelling, contact angle, mechanical properties, and surface charge density. After these chemical-physical characterizations, electrospun nanofibers structures were manufactured and their mechanical properties were evaluated. Finally, cell response was analyzed by testing the efficacy of keratin-based structures in sustaining cell vitality and proliferation over 4 days of human epithelial, rat neuronal and human primary skin fibroblast cells.
Highlights
In order to reproduce a functional engineered in vitro tissue model, it is important to mimic the topological and mechanical features of native tissue, given the strict relationship between function and structure (Vozzi and Ahluwalia, 2007)
Films presented a large initial swelling, which increases with the keratin concentration presenting a weight increase of 400% in the case of K:G 1:2 and 700% in case of K:G 2:1, before reaching a plateau after 6 h (Figure 3A)
This result suggest that the hydrolized keratin favors the inlet of water inside the sample
Summary
In order to reproduce a functional engineered in vitro tissue model, it is important to mimic the topological and mechanical features of native tissue, given the strict relationship between function and structure (Vozzi and Ahluwalia, 2007). Synthetic polymers have been used because they can be processed more with different bioprinting technologies in different complex structure in order to mimic at meso- and micro- level the properties of targeted tissues (De Maria et al, 2017; Moroni et al, 2017). Their degradation once tested in vitro or in vivo does not ensure their correct subsistence for the entire period required by cells to colonize the structure, because the degradation mechanism is often not controllable and its products can alter
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