Development of electrospun beaded fibers from Thai silk fibroin and gelatin for controlled release application

Effects of electrospun nanofiber fabrications on immobilization of recombinant Escherichia coli for production of xylitol from glucose

A suitable nanofiber sheet was formulated and developed based on its efficacy in the immobilization of recombinant Escherichia coli (E. coli) to enhance xylitol production. The effects of different types of nanofibers and solvents on cell immobilization and xylitol production were studied. The most applicable nanofiber membrane was selected via preliminary screening of four types of nanofiber membrane, followed by the selection of six different solvents. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofiber sheet synthesized using dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent was found to be the most suitable carrier for immobilization and xylitol production. The thin, beaded PVDF (DMF) nanofibers were more favourable for microbial adhesion, with the number of immobilized cells as high as 96 × 106 ± 3.0 cfu/ml. The attraction force between positively charged PVDF nanofibers and the negatively charged E. coli indicates that the electrostatic interaction plays a significant role in cell adsorption. The use of DMF has also produced PVDF nanofibers biocatalyst capable of synthesizing the highest xylitol concentration (2.168 g/l) and productivity (0.090 g/l/h) and 55-69% reduction in cell lysis compared with DMSO solvent and free cells. This finding suggests that recombinant E. coli immobilized on nanofibers shows great potential as a whole-cell biocatalyst for xylitol production.

Integrating a micro-mixing mechanism and on-line thermal processing for the large-scale ejection of polymeric liquid threads for producing ultrafine fibers

Micro/nanofibers are structures that nowadays have a wide range of cutting-edge applications including energy generation and storage devices, smart textiles, cell growth, and tissue engineering. These fibrous materials are mostly produced from polymer solutions spun, under laminar flow conditions, into nanofibers by external forces. However, the turbulent interaction of gas-liquid interfaces offers an innovative approach for the high-throughput production of nanofibers. Here, we present Flow Blurring (FB), a solely pneumatic approach for the massive production of liquid threads of polymer solutions, which relies on a micro-mixing mechanism that triggers a turbulent motion capable of fragmenting a viscous flow. The as-ejected threads are subsequently processed thermally, on-line in a single-step, thus producing micro/nanofibers that form mats. The method operates with relatively large liquid flow rates, equivalent of a high production rate, and is thus suitable for industrial production of engineered nanomaterials. In this work, we used solutions of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to study its ejection and fragmentation dynamics through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. In addition, the physics underlying the regulation of the liquid flow rate in FB atomizers are proposed. Fibers with typical diameters in the range 400-800 nm were produced by online heating of the liquid threads. Liquid ejection experiments were performed under different operating conditions thus verifying the capability of the method for synthesizing submicrometer-sized fibers with high uniformity and production rates suitable for scaling up.

Hemocompatibility Evaluation of Thai Bombyx mori Silk Fibroin and Its Improvement with Low Molecular Weight Heparin Immobilization

Bombyx mori silk fibroin (SF), from Nangnoi Srisaket 1 Thai strain, has shown potential for various biomedical applications such as wound dressing, a vascular patch, bone substitutes, and controlled release systems. The hemocompatibility of this SF is one of the important characteristics that have impacts on such applications. In this study, the hemocompatibility of Thai SF was investigated and its improvement by low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) immobilization was demonstrated. Endothelial cell proliferation on the SF and LMWH immobilized SF (Hep/SF) samples with or without fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) was also evaluated. According to hemocompatibility evaluation, Thai SF did not accelerate clotting time, excess stimulate complement and leukocyte activation, and was considered a non-hemolysis material compared to the negative control PTFE sheet. Platelet adhesion of SF film was comparable to that of the PTFE sheet. For hemocompatibility enhancement, LMWH was immobilized successfully and could improve the surface hydrophilicity of SF films. The Hep/SF films demonstrated prolonged clotting time and slightly lower complement and leukocyte activation. However, the Hep/SF films could not suppress platelet adhesion. The Hep/SF films demonstrated endothelial cell proliferation enhancement, particularly with FGF-2 addition. This study provides fundamental information for the further development of Thai SF as a hemocompatible biomaterial.

Extended release formulations using silk proteins for controlled delivery of therapeutics

INTRODUCTION

Silk is a promising biomaterial for controlled delivery of therapeutics and has a unique protein chemistry that can be tuned to form different carrier formats. The protein has been studied for sustained release depot systems for the targeted or localized delivery of drugs.

AREAS COVERED

An overview of natural silk proteins for controlled delivery of therapeutics is provided, with a focus on the features of silk proteins that allow them to be useful tools for controlled delivery. Recent applications of natural silk proteins as controlled delivery systems are also summarized.

EXPERT OPINION

The versatility of silk proteins makes them desirable biomaterials for a broad range of applications for controlled delivery of both small and large molecules. Further, the degradation profile leading to peptides and amino acids provides compatibility with pH-sensitive therapeutics. While silk sericin and spider silks are under study, silk fibroin extracted from silkworms (e.g. Bombyx mori) dominates pharmaceutical studies with silk. Silk fibroin can be formed into drug delivery tools for systemic or local injections, topical and transdermal applications, and implantation; depending on the target disease and therapeutic molecule. In vitro to in vivo correlations and scale-up needs are the next steps towards clinical applications.

Biodegradable bead-on-spring nanofibers releasing β-carotene for bone tissue engineering

Bead-on-string mats based on poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) releasing β-carotene (βC) as a natural osteogen were fabricated and used for bone tissue engineering. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) seeded on the scaffolds successfully differentiated to osteoblasts without using any a differential medium. The mats showed a small burst of β-carotene (24-27%) during the first day and a sustained slow release up to 21 days. The MTT and SEM results indicated good attachment and proliferation of MSCs on the scaffolds. Calcination of scaffolds and expression of RUNX2, SOX9, and osteonectin genes approved the differentiation of seeded MSCs to osteoblasts without using any external osteogenic differential agent. The scaffold loaded with 4% β-carotene not only induced the early phase of osteogenesis but also advanced the differentiation to the osteoblast maturation phase. Thus, these bead-on-string scaffolds can be used as a substrate for direct bone tissue engineering.

Thai silk fibroin gelation process enhancing by monohydric and polyhydric alcohols

Silk fibroin hydrogel is an interesting natural material in various biomedical applications. However, the self-assembled gelation takes a long time. In this work, different alcohol types are used as gelation enhancers for aqueous silk fibroin solution. Monohydric alcohols having carbon chain length from C1 to C4 and polyhydric alcohols with the number of mono- to tri- hydroxyl groups were used as the enhancers which are effective for rapid gelation. The addition of monohydric alcohol distinctively reduced the gelation time, comparing to the polyhydric alcohol. The gelation process is directly dependent on the polarity of alcohol and hydrophobicity. The alcohol mediated gelation imparts strong viscoelastic property and enhanced compressive modulus of resulting hydrogels. This is due to the effective formation of self-assembled beta sheet network of the silk fibroin chains facilitates the gelation process.

Electrospun silk fibroin-gelatin composite tubular matrices as scaffolds for small diameter blood vessel regeneration

In this work an innovative method to obtain natural and biocompatible small diameter tubular structures is proposed. The biocompatibility and good mechanical properties of electrospun silk fibroin tubular matrices (SFts), extensively studied for tissue engineering applications, have been coupled with the excellent cell interaction properties of gelatin. In fact, an innovative non-cytotoxic gelatin gel, crosslinked in mild conditions via a Michael-type addition reaction, has been used to coat SFt matrices and obtain SFt/gel structures (I.D. = 6 mm). SFts/gel exhibited homogeneous gelatin coating on the electrospun fibrous tubular structure. Circumferential tensile tests performed on SFts/gel showed mechanical properties comparable to those of natural blood vessels in terms of UTS, compliance and viscoelastic behavior. Finally, SFt/gel in vitro cytocompatibility was confirmed by the good viability and spread morphology of L929 fibroblasts up to 7 days. These results demonstrated that SFt/gel is a promising off-the-shelf graft for small diameter blood vessel regeneration.

Preparation and characterization of electrospun in-situ cross-linked gelatin-graphite oxide nanofibers

Electrospun gelatin(Gel) nanofibers scaffold has such defects as poor mechanical property and quick degradation due to high solubility. In this study, the in situ cross-linked electrospinning technique was used for the production of gelatin nanofibers. Deionized water was chosen as the spinning solvent and graphite oxide (GO) was chosen as the enhancer. The morphological structure, porosity, thermal property, moisture absorption, and moisture retention performance, hydrolysis resistance, mechanical property, and biocompatibility of the produced nanofibers were investigated. Compared with in situ cross-linked gelatin nanofibers scaffold, in situ cross-linked Gel-GO nanofibers scaffold has the following features: (1) the hydrophilicity, moisture absorption, and moisture retention performance slightly reduce, while the hydrolysis resistance is improved; (2) the breaking strength, breaking elongation, and Young's modulus are significantly improved; (3) the porosity slightly reduces while the biocompatibility considerably increases. The in situ cross-linked Gel-GO nanofibers scaffold is likely to be applied in such fields as drug delivery and scaffold for skin tissue engineering.

Thai Silk Fibroin/Gelatin Sponges for the Dual Controlled Release of Curcumin and Docosahexaenoic Acid for Anticancer Treatment

In this study, curcumin and/or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were encapsulated in Thai silk fibroin/gelatin (SF/G) sponges, prepared at different blending ratios, aimed to be applied as a controlled release system for localized cancer therapy. The SF/G sponges were fabricated by freeze-drying and glutaraldehyde cross-linking techniques. Physicochemical properties of the SF/G sponges were characterized. Then, curcumin and/or DHA were loaded in the sponges by physical adsorption. The encapsulation efficiency and the in vitro release of curcumin and/or DHA from the sponges were evaluated. SF/G sponges could encapsulate curcumin and/or DHA at high encapsulation efficiency. The highly cross-linked and slowly degrading SF/G (50/50) sponge released curcumin and/or DHA at the slowest rate. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the sponges against noncancer cells (L929 mouse fibroblast) and anticancer of curcumin and/or DHA released from the sponges against cervical cancer cells (CaSki) were tested. All sponges were not toxic to L929 mouse fibroblast. The mixed curcumin–DHA at the ratio of 1:4 had the highest inhibiting effect on the growth of CaSki, comparing with the release of curcumin or DHA alone. SF/G sponges could be a potential carrier for dual release of curcumin and DHA for anticancer effect.

Preparation and characterization of silk fibroin/poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) nanofibrous membranes for tissue engineering applications

In recent years, silk fibroin has become one of the most promising tissue engineering materials because of its excellent cytocompatibility. Poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone), the copolymer of poly(l-lactide) and poly(ε-caprolactone), possesses good mechanical properties, and its degradation rates can be manipulated by varying the ratio of the constituent polymers. In this study, in order to combine their respective characteristics, silk fibroin/poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) nanofibrous membranes were fabricated through electrospinning with different mass ratios of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100. The surface properties, thermodynamic properties, mechanical properties, and cytocompatibility of silk fibroin/poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) blended membranes were evaluated, and an optimal blending ratio was identified. The results showed that the silk fibroin/poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) blended membranes containing 75% of silk fibroin and 25% of poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) achieved the most improved performances compared with the single-component membranes or the blended membranes with other mixing ratios. The results from this study indicated that 75/25 silk fibroin/poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) blended membranes which combined the advantages of poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) and silk fibroin might be a suitable candidate material for use in tissue engineering.

Preparation and characterization of polylactide/poly(ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) hybrid fibers for potential application in bone tissue engineering

The aim of this study was to develop a kind of osteogenic biodegradable composite graft consisting of human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cell (hPMSC) material for site-specific repair of bone defects and attenuation of clinical symptoms. The novel nano- to micro-structured biodegradable hybrid fibers were prepared by electrospinning. The characteristics of the hybrid membranes were investigated by a range of methods, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry. Morphological study with scanning electron microscopy showed that the average fiber diameter and the number of nanoscale pores on each individual fiber surface decreased with increasing concentration of poly(ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCEC). The prepared polylactide (PLA)/PCEC fibrous membranes favored hPMSC attachment and proliferation by providing an interconnected, porous, three-dimensional mimicked extracellular environment. What is more, hPMSCs cultured on the electrospun hybrid PLA/PCEC fibrous scaffolds could be effectively differentiated into bone-associated cells by positive alizarin red staining. Given the good cellular response and excellent osteogenic potential in vitro, the electrospun PLA/PCEC fibrous scaffolds could be one of the most promising candidates for bone tissue engineering.

The development of injectable gelatin/silk fibroin microspheres for the dual delivery of curcumin and piperine

The objective of this study was to develop the microspheres from gelatin (G) and silk fibroin (SF) aimed to be applied for the controlled release of curcumin and piperine. The glutaraldehyde-crosslinked G/SF microspheres at various weight blending ratios (100/0, 70/30, 50/50, and 30/70) were successfully fabricated by water in oil emulsion technique. The microspheres prepared from all compositions were in a round shape with homogeneous size distribution both in the dried (194-217 μm) and swollen states (297-367 μm). When subjected in collagenase solution at physiological condition, the G microspheres gradually degraded within 14 days while the blended G/SF microspheres, particularly at 50/50 and 30/70, were not degraded. For the release application, the microspheres were loaded with curcumin and/or piperine. It was found that the microspheres composed of SF tended to entrap curcumin and piperine with the high entrapment and loading efficiencies, possibly due to their hydrophobic interactions. The G/SF microspheres, particularly at the ratios of 50/50 and 30/70, released curcumin and piperine in a sustained manner both for the single and dual release systems. The controlled dual release of curcumin and piperine from the G/SF microspheres would prolong their half-life, provide the optimal concentrations for therapeutic effects at a target site, and improve the bioavailability of curcumin. These novel injectable microspheres dually releasing curcumin and piperine would be introduced for the treatment of diseases without the need of operation.