Abstract
In this study, two different biomaterials were fabricated and their potential use as a bilayer scaffold for skin tissue engineering applications was assessed. The upper layer biomaterial was a Poly(ε-caprolactone-co-lactide)/Poloxamer (PLCL/Poloxamer) nanofiber membrane fabricated using electrospinning technology. The PLCL/Poloxamer nanofibers (PLCL/Poloxamer, 9/1) exhibited strong mechanical properties (stress/strain values of 9.37±0.38 MPa/187.43±10.66%) and good biocompatibility to support adipose-derived stem cells proliferation. The lower layer biomaterial was a hydrogel composed of 10% dextran and 20% gelatin without the addition of a chemical crosslinking agent. The 5/5 dextran/gelatin hydrogel displayed high swelling property, good compressive strength, capacity to present more than 3 weeks and was able to support cells proliferation. A bilayer scaffold was fabricated using these two materials by underlaying the nanofibers and casting hydrogel to mimic the structure and biological function of native skin tissue. The upper layer membrane provided mechanical support in the scaffold and the lower layer hydrogel provided adequate space to allow cells to proliferate and generate extracellular matrix. The biocompatibility of bilayer scaffold was preliminarily investigated to assess the potential cytotoxicity. The results show that cell viability had not been affected when cocultured with bilayer scaffold. As a consequence, the bilayer scaffold composed of PLCL/Poloxamer nanofibers and dextran/gelatin hydrogels is biocompatible and possesses its potentially high application prospect in the field of skin tissue engineering.
Highlights
Adult skin consists of two tissue layers: a keratinized stratified epidermis and an underlying thick layer of collagen-rich dermal connective tissue providing support and nourishment
Fetal bovine serum (FBS), phosphate buffered saline (PBS), Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM), Live/Dead Viability Assay Kit, collagenase II, penicillin-streptomycin solution, trypsin-EDTA and other culture media and reagents were purchased from Gibco Life Technologies Corporation (Carlsbad, CA, USA)
The results indicate that the degradation rate of the dextran/gelatin hydrogels could be modulated by altering the dextran content of hydrogel to match epidermal tissue formation
Summary
Adult skin consists of two tissue layers: a keratinized stratified epidermis and an underlying thick layer of collagen-rich dermal connective tissue providing support and nourishment. Full thickness grafts, consisting of the epidermis and the full thickness of the dermis, are commonly used in plastic and reconstructive surgery [2]. The donor site following the harvest of a full thickness graft has no epidermal elements from which new skin can regenerate. The grafts must be taken from sites of the body where the donor defects can be primarily closed. This limits the harvest of full thickness grafts clinically. Tissue-engineered skin replacements such as cultured autologous and allogenic keratinocytes grafts, autologous or allogenic composites, acellular biological matrices, and cellular matrices including biological substances such as fibrin sealant and various types of collagen and hyaluronic acid (HA) have opened new options to treat such massive skin loss [3]
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