Abstract
Background: In situ cardiac tissue engineering aims to heal the infarcted myocardium by guiding tissue regeneration within the patient body. A key step in this approach is the design of a bioactive scaffold, able to stimulate tissue repair at the site of damage. In the development of bioactive scaffolds, molecular imprinting nanotechnology has been recently proposed as a new functionalization strategy. Objectives: In this work, Molecularly Imprinted Particles (MIP) with recognition properties towards the stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) were synthesized, characterized and used for the functionalization of a biomimetic scaffold. MIP are expected to favor the enrichment of the SDF-1 bioactive molecule within the scaffold, thereby promoting myocardial regeneration. Methods: MIP were obtained by precipitation polymerization, using the SDF-1 molecule as a template. Alginate/gelatin/elastin sponges were fabricated by freeze-drying and functionalized by MIP deposition. Morphological, physicochemical and functional analyses were performed both on MIP and on MIP-modified scaffolds. A preliminary biological in vitro investigation was also carried out using rat cardiac progenitor cells (rCPCs). Results: Imprinted nanoparticles with an average diameter between 0.6 and 0.9 µm were obtained. Infrared analysis of MIP confirmed the expected chemical structure. Recognition and selectivity tests showed that MIP were able to selectively recognize and rebind the template, even after their deposition on the scaffold. In vitro biological tests showed that cell adhesion to the scaffold was promoted by MIP functionalization. Conclusion: Results obtained in the present study suggest that biomimetic alginate/gelatin/elastin sponges, functionalized by MIP with recognition properties towards SDF-1, could be successfully used for tissue engineering approaches to repair the infarcted heart.
Highlights
Myocardial Infarction (MI) is the segmental loss of cardiac tissue resulting from the obstruction of major coronary arteries
Results obtained in the present study suggest that biomimetic alginate/gelatin/elastin sponges, functionalized by Molecularly Imprinted Particles (MIP) with recognition properties towards stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), could be successfully used for tissue engineering approaches to repair the infarcted heart
In this work, we investigated the innovative combination of a biomimetic scaffold material, based on a blend of three natural polymers, with a new functionalization strategy, based on molecular imprinting
Summary
Myocardial Infarction (MI) is the segmental loss of cardiac tissue resulting from the obstruction of major coronary arteries. Cardiac tissue engineering aims at the repair, regeneration and replacement of damaged cardiac tissue, by implanting a bioactive biomaterial directly at the injured site, in a seeded or unseeded configuration. Recent studies have suggested that the heart contains resident stem cells that can be induced to develop new cardiac and vascular tissue. To exploit this knowledge, the in situ approach for cardiac tissue regeneration is based on the implantation of a preformed or injectable bioactive scaffold, properly interacting with the recruited endogenous cells [1 - 3]. A key step in this approach is the design of a bioactive scaffold, able to stimulate tissue repair at the site of damage. In the development of bioactive scaffolds, molecular imprinting nanotechnology has been recently proposed as a new functionalization strategy
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