Influence of Drying Method and Argon Plasma Modification of Bacterial Nanocellulose on Keratinocyte Adhesion and Growth.

Anna Kutová,Barbora Vokatá,Ondřej Kvítek,Dominik Fajstavr,Antonín Brož,Lucie Bačáková,Kristýna Vejvodová,Lubica Staňková,Zdeňka Kolská,Václav Švorčík

doi:10.3390/nano11081916

Abstract

Due to its nanostructure, bacterial nanocellulose (BC) has several advantages over plant cellulose, but it exhibits weak cell adhesion. To overcome this drawback, we studied the drying method of BC and subsequent argon plasma modification (PM). BC hydrogels were prepared using the Komagataeibacter sucrofermentans (ATCC 700178) bacteria strain. The hydrogels were transformed into solid samples via air-drying (BC-AD) or lyophilization (BC-L). The sample surfaces were then modified by argon plasma. SEM revealed that compared to BC-AD, the BC-L samples maintained their nanostructure and had higher porosity. After PM, the contact angle decreased while the porosity increased. XPS showed that the O/C ratio was higher after PM. The cell culture experiments revealed that the initial adhesion of human keratinocytes (HaCaT) was supported better on BC-L, while the subsequent growth of these cells and final cell population density were higher on BC-AD. The PM improved the final colonization of both BC-L and BC-AD with HaCaT, leading to formation of continuous cell layers. Our work indicates that the surface modification of BC renders this material highly promising for skin tissue engineering and wound healing.

Highlights

Bacterial nanocellulose (BC) has been known for more than two thousand years as a by-product of the kombucha tea fermentation process [1], the first person to scientifically observe and describe this material was A
Bacterial nanocellulose was produced by Komagataeibacter sucrofermentans
The yield did not increase further with time. This hydrogel had an uneven surface (Figure 2a). We suggest this to be caused by the non-homogeneous distribution of bacteria cells in the pellicle during cultivation, which leads to thicker and thinner parts

Summary

Introduction

Bacterial (or microbial) nanocellulose (BC) has been known for more than two thousand years as a by-product of the kombucha tea fermentation process [1], the first person to scientifically observe and describe this material was A. During his work with Bacterium acetum, he described it as a translucent jelly-like material that occurs on the surface of the cultivation fluid and proved it to be cellulose [2]. Several gram-negative aerobic rod-like bacteria genera with high acid tolerance producing. Many examples of scientific articles describing the production of BC using various bacterial species and subspecies, media composition (carbon and nitrogen source, pH), and reaction conditions leading to materials of various shapes and properties can be found in literature [7,8,9]

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Conclusion