Preparation and evaluation of a silk fibroin–polycaprolactone biodegradable biomimetic tracheal scaffold
- 21 January 2022
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials
- Vol. 110 (6), 1292-1305
- https://doi.org/10.1002/jbm.b.35000
Abstract
In tracheal tissue engineering, the construction of tracheal scaffolds with adequate biodegradable mechanical capacity and biological functions that mimic the structure of a natural trachea is challenging. To explore the feasibility of preparing biomimetic degradable scaffolds with C-type cartilage rings and an inner tracheal wall of polycaprolactone and silk fibroin. A mold was made according to the diameter of a rabbit trachea, and a silk fibroin tube and polycaprolactone ring attached to the tube were obtained by solution casting. The ring was fixed to the tube at a specific spacing using electrostatic spinning technology to construct a biomimetic tracheal scaffold; its porous structure was observed by scanning electron microscopy, its degradation properties were determined by in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis and its mechanical properties were obtained by pressure testing. The composite scaffold was transplanted subcutaneously into a rabbit model, and the scaffold was taken at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after surgery for sectioning to observe pre-vascularization. The Medical Ethics Committee of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital approved the study. The general view of the biomimetic scaffold: the polycaprolactone ring was fixed firmly on the outer wall of the silk fibroin tube; the two corresponded in size, and they fitted closely. The surface of the polycaprolactone ring was smooth and dense, while the surface of the silk fibroin tube could be seen as a uniform porous structure. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the surface and profile of the fibroin tube had a uniform pore size and distribution. The pores were connected to form a network. In vitro, enzymatic hydrolysis experiments confirmed that the fibroin was degraded easily, with most being degraded at the end of week 1. The degradation slowed at 2, 3, and 4 weeks, while the degradation of polycaprolactone was extremely slow. A compression test showed that the compressive resistance of the silk fibroin–polycaprolactone biomimetic scaffolds was much better than that of the rabbit trachea at close thickness. In the tissue staining experiments, as the material degraded, fibrous tissues and blood vessels grew to replace the material, allowing the scaffold to obtain a blood supply and better mechanical properties. A quantitative analysis of CD31 showed that the results for the vascularization of the scaffold were better at 4 weeks than at 2 weeks following subcutaneous grafting (P < .05). The results confirmed that it is feasible to prepare porous, degradable silk fibroin–polycaprolactone biomimetic scaffolds with good mechanical properties and epithelial biological functions by mold casting.Keywords
Funding Information
- Innovative Research Group Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81671529)
This publication has 38 references indexed in Scilit:
- Porous Three-Dimensional Silk Fibroin Scaffolds for Tracheal Epithelial Regeneration in Vitro and in VivoACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, 2018
- Biofabrication strategies for 3D in vitro models and regenerative medicineNature Reviews Materials, 2018
- Surgical anatomy of the tracheaAnnals of Cardiothoracic Surgery, 2018
- In-vivo characterization of a 3D hybrid scaffold based on PCL/decellularized aorta for tracheal tissue engineeringMaterials Science and Engineering: C, 2017
- Current and future approaches to large airways imaging in adults and childrenClinical Radiology, 2017
- Prolonged in vitro precultivation alleviates post-implantation inflammation and promotes stable subcutaneous cartilage formation in a goat modelBiomedical Materials, 2016
- A Novel Method to Acquire Decellularized Tracheal Matrix from Neonatal RabbitJournal of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, 2016
- Three-Dimensional Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications: Role of Porosity and Pore SizeTissue Engineering, Part B: Reviews, 2013
- The in vivo degradation, absorption and excretion of PCL-based implantBiomaterials, 2006
- Preparation and characterization of highly porous, biodegradable polyurethane scaffolds for soft tissue applicationsBiomaterials, 2005