Silk-ELR co-recombinamer covered stents obtained by electrospinning.

M Putzu,F Causa,Manuel Parente,J C Rodriguez-Cabello,Israel González De Torre,P A Netti

doi:10.1093/rb/rby022

Abstract

In the field of tissue engineering the choice of materials is of great importance given the possibility to use biocompatible polymers produced by means of biotechnology. A large number of synthetic and natural materials have been used to this purpose and processed into scaffolds using Electrospinning technique. Among materials that could be used for the fabrication of scaffold and degradable membranes, natural polymers such as collagen, elastin or fibroin offer the possibility to design structures strictly similar to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Biotechnology and genetic engineering made possible the advent of a new class of biopolymers called protein-based polymers. One example is represented by the silk-elastin-proteins that combine the elasticity and resilience of elastin with the high tensile strength of silk-fibroin and display engineered bioactive sequences. In this work, we use electrospinning technique to produce a fibrous scaffold made of the co-recombinamer Silk-ELR. Obtained fibres have been characterized from the morphological point of view. Homogeneity and morphology have been explored using Scanning Electron Microscopy. A thorough study regarding the influence of Voltage, flow rate and distance have been carried out to determine the appropriate parameters to obtain the fibrous mats without defects and with a good distribution of diameters. Cytocompatibility has also been in vitro tested. For the first time we use the co-recombinamer Silk-ELR for the fabrication of a 2.5 angioplasty balloon coating. This structure could be useful as a coated scaffold for the regeneration of intima layer of vessels.

Highlights

One of the most important aspects in the manufacture of scaffolds for tissue engineering is to be able to have access to materials mimicking the extracellular matrix (ECM)
Silk-ELR recombinamer was processed into fibres using electrospinning technique
As we reported in a previous work, electrospinning of Elastin-like-recombinamers in Trifluoroethanol solutions can give rise to a huge variety of aggregates that increase with the increasing temperature [2]

Summary

Introduction

One of the most important aspects in the manufacture of scaffolds for tissue engineering is to be able to have access to materials mimicking the extracellular matrix (ECM). It drew attention the use of naturally derived materials, which couple nontoxicity to other important properties [1]. The scaffold should be structurally and morphologically similar to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Important tasks are the cell–material interaction, sensitivity to proteases and the release of cytokines. The ECM has a fibril composition and a viscous character and such structure significantly influence the cell–biomaterial interaction [1]

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Conclusion