Preparation and characterization of ß-lactoglobulin/poly(ethylene oxide) magnetic nanofibers for biomedical applications

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Developing a single nanofiber containing magnetic nanoparticles (MGNPs) and whey proteins provides a preferable requirement to utilize the benefits of various amino acids and magnetization characteristics in a single nanostructure. In this study, ß-lactoglobulin (BLG), one of the major components of the aqueous whey protein isolate, and magnetic glass ceramic nanoparticles (MGNPs) colloid were formulated into nanofibrous morphology by electrospinning using the assist of a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). First, BLG:PEO with a ratio of 3:1 produced nanofibers with an average fiber diameter of 370 nm. To produce magnetized nanofiber scaffolds, the magnetic glass ceramic nanoparticles were added to the BLG-PEO solution with a ratio of 1, 3 and 7 wt%. The influence of the inorganic nanoparticles on the nanofibrous morphology of the electrospun scaffold was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The nanofiber diameter decreased with increasing the nanoparticles concentration as the observed average diameters were 245, 163 and 152 nm for the scaffolds containing 1, 3 and 7 wt.% MGNPs, respectively. The chemical composition and the magnetic properties were characterized using FTIR, DSC and VSM analysis techniques. It was concluded that addition of MGNPs did not affect the chemical composition of the protein or the polymer. Accordingly, a cell proliferation assay confirmed that the magnetic nanofibers have no adverse effect on the human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) proliferation. These results confirm the possibility of using electrospun magnetic nanofibers for biomedical applications.