Epithelial Growth Factor-Anchored on Polycaprolactone/6-deoxy-6-amino-β-cyclodextrin Nanofibers: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation

Edgar D Moyers-Montoya,Perla Elvia Garcia-Casillas,René Gerardo Escobedo-González,Carlos A Martínez-Pérez,Claudia L Vargas-Requena

doi:10.3390/polym13081303

Edgar D Moyers-Montoya, Perla Elvia Garcia-Casillas + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13081303

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Abstract

Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a well-known FDA approved biomaterial for tissue engineering. However, its hydrophobic properties limit its use for skin wound healing which makes its functionalization necessary. In this work, we present the fabrication and evaluation of PCL nanofibers by the electrospinning technique, as well as PCL functionalized with 6-deoxy-6-amino-β-cyclodextrin (aminated nanofibers). Afterwards, epithelial growth factor (EGF) was anchored onto hydrophilic PCL/deoxy-6-amino-β-cyclodextrin. The characterization of the three electrospun fibers was made by means of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR); Confocal-Raman Spectroscopy were used for elucidated the chemical structure, the hydrophilicity was determined by Contact Angle (CA). In vitro cell proliferation test was made by seeding embryonic fibroblast cell line (3T3) onto the electrospun mats and in vivo studies in a murine model were conducted to prove its effectivity as skin wound healing material. The in vitro studies showed that aminated nanofibers without and with EGF had 100 and 150% more cell proliferation of 3T3 cells against the PCL alone, respectively. In vivo results showed that skin wound healing in a murine model was accelerated by the incorporation of the EGF. In addition, the EGF had favorable effects in epidermal cell proliferation. The study demonstrates that a protein of high biological interest like EGF can be attached covalently to the surface of a synthetic material enriched with amino groups. This kind of biomaterial has a great potential for applications in skin regeneration and wound healing.

Highlights

Nanofiber polymer scaffolds prepared by electrospinning techniques are being used for different therapies and treatments due to the capacity of these kind of materials to emulate the morphology of the extracellular matrix [1,2]
We present the physicochemical characterization, as well the in vitro and in vivo wound repair evaluation of the electrospun nanofibers made with inclusion complex between PCL and 6-deoxy-6-amino-β-cyclodextrin which was incorporated in order to provide sites to anchor the epithelial growth factor (EGF), this will reinforce the evaluation reported in our previous work [13]
The amine groups on the surface of the aminated nanofibers were quantified in order to determine the capacity to attach the epithelial growth factor

Summary

Introduction

Nanofiber polymer scaffolds prepared by electrospinning techniques are being used for different therapies and treatments due to the capacity of these kind of materials to emulate the morphology of the extracellular matrix [1,2]. It is already well known that electrospinning is an efficient and economical technique that allows the fabrication of polymer nanofiber [3]. There are several biocompatible and biodegradable polymers that have shown great performance for scaffolds manufacturing like Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA), Poly (glycolic acid) (PGA), Polycaprolactone (PCL), and blends of them [4,5,6]. PCL for tissue regeneration proposals requires some strategies to improve its interaction capacity. Cell scaffolds are enriched with biomolecules, in a way that regeneration reaction in the tissues could be potentiated [8,9,10]

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