Abstract
The development of new biocompatible materials for application in the replacement of deteriorated tissues (due to accidents and diseases) has gained a lot of attention due to the high demand around the world. Tissue engineering offers multiple options from biocompatible materials with easy resorption. Chitosan (CS) is a biopolymer derived from chitin, the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature, which has been highly used for cell regeneration applications. In this work, CS films and Ruta graveolens essential oil (RGEO) were incorporated to obtain porous and resorbable materials, which did not generate allergic reactions. An oil-free formulation (F1: CS) and three different formulations containing R. graveolens essential oil were prepared (F2: CS-RGEO 0.5%; F3: CS+RGEO 1.0%; and F4: CS+RGEO 1.5%) to evaluate the effect of the RGEO incorporation in the mechanical and thermal stability of the films. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses demonstrated the presence of RGEO. In contrast, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis showed that the crystalline structure and percentage of CS were slightly affected by the RGEO incorporation. Interesting saturation phenomena were observed for mechanical and water permeability tests when RGEO was incorporated at higher than 0.5% (v/v). The results of subdermal implantation after 30 days in Wistar rats showed that increasing the amount of RGEO resulted in greater resorption of the material, but also more significant inflammation of the tissue surrounding the materials. On the other hand, the thermal analysis showed that the RGEO incorporation almost did not affect thermal degradation. However, mechanical properties demonstrated an understandable loss of tensile strength and Young’s modulus for F3 and F4. However, given the volatility of the RGEO, it was possible to generate a slightly porous structure, as can be seen in the microstructure analysis of the surface and the cross-section of the films. The cytotoxicity analysis of the CS+RGEO compositions by the hemolysis technique agreed with in vivo results of the low toxicity observed. All these results demonstrate that films including crude essential oil have great application potential in the biomedical field.
Highlights
Since the early adoption of the term “tissue engineering”, several studies have been published, demonstrating three-dimensional scaffolds development with the ability to add cells and support their proliferation in a wide range of applications [1]
Several reports on biological activities of the Ruta graveolens essential oil (RGEO) are available, such as on larvicidal and nematicidal activities [33], antibacterial and antifungal potential [30,31,34,36], and allelopathy activity [35], indicating that chemical composition is crucial for biological activity
CS+RGEO films exhibited lower water permeability, water solubility, and comparable thermal resistance than CS films, except for 0.5% of RGEO, where a thermal reinforcement effect was shown by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), but with a saturation point when an excess of 1.5% of RGEO was used
Summary
Since the early adoption of the term “tissue engineering”, several studies have been published, demonstrating three-dimensional scaffolds development with the ability to add cells and support their proliferation in a wide range of applications [1]. Of significant importance in the design of scaffolds are the final architecture, excellent mechanical properties, and biocompatibility, in addition to cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation abilities [2]. Chemical composition and structural modifications of the materials selected for scaffold design are the ultimate aspects to determine the success in tissue-engineering applications [3,4]. Natural or synthetic polymer-based scaffolds have advantages and disadvantages in tissue engineering applications. Low degradation rates and low cell adhesion and interaction compared to natural counterparts are the main disadvantages
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