Preparation of a Recombinant Spider Silk Protein/Pcl Blend Submicrofibrous Mat and Its Cytocompatibility

Abstract

With electrospinning technology, recombinant spider silk protein/PCL blend submicrofibrous mat was prepared. Its properties as a potential wound dressing material were evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). When the proportion of recombinant spider silk protein/polycaprolactone (PCL) reached 1:20, the appropriate concentration of spinning solution was 30%. Also, the fibre diameter increased as the nozzle-to-ground distance decreased, or as the extrusion speed increased. The fibres tended to be non-uniform. As shown by FTIR, PCL and recombinant spider silk protein blended together without obvious molecular interaction. MTT assay analysis showed that, compared with PCL scaffold, the toxic level of pNSR16/PCL composite scaffold was below 1, which meets the criteria for biomaterials. NIH-3T3 cells cultivation on the composite scaffolds indicated that pNSR16/PCL composite scaffolds with RGD had better cell adhesion than PCL scaffolds. Immunohistochemical experiments proved that cells on the pNSR16/PCL composite scaffold materials had no effect on normal growth. pNSR16/PCL composite scaffold guaranteed good crawling capacity of cells.