Skin Regeneration by Hybrid Carboxyl Methyl Cellulose/Calcium Alginate Fibers Electrospun Scaffold

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate on elasticity, degradation, and mechanical strength of sodium carboxyl methyl cellulose (SCMC) and calcium alginate (CA)-based scaffolds and their effect on fibroblasts’ proliferation and adhesion. Using electrospinning technique by employing natural polymers provides a progressive approach in tissue engineering by producing similar structure with adjustable properties. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was applied to observe the morphological and textural properties. Physico-chemical properties were studied using FTIR, tensile strain, contact angle, in vitro degradation, and water absorption test, and the biological properties were conducted by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and SEM observations. The results showed that a bead-free fibers was produced with over 80% porosity. CA resulted in enhancing elasticity, wettability, water uptake absorption, and increasing the rate of biodegradation. Biological assessment revealed that fibroblast cells were adhered and proliferated on SCMC/CA scaffold better comparable with pure SCMC scaffold. The overall findings denoted to the chemical, mechanical, hydrophilicity and biological suitability of SCMC/CA nanofiber scaffolds that make it a promising candidate for further studies toward skin tissue engineering applications.

Keywords

• scaffold
• biodegradability
• electrospinning
• natural fibers
• skin
• wound healing