Premium
Biomimicking Polysaccharide Nanofibers Promote Vascular Phenotypes: A Potential Application for Vascular Tissue Engineering
Author(s) -
Shi Liya,
Aid Rachida,
Le Visage Catherine,
Chew Sing Yian
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
macromolecular bioscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.924
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1616-5195
pISSN - 1616-5187
DOI - 10.1002/mabi.201100336
Subject(s) - nanofiber , pullulan , tissue engineering , adhesion , biophysics , dextran , chemistry , cell adhesion , materials science , polysaccharide , biomedical engineering , nanotechnology , composite material , biology , biochemistry , medicine
The potential of electrospun pullulan/dextran (P/D) nanofibers (average diameter = 323 nm) for vascular tissue engineering applications is explored. The mechanical properties of the nanofibers are of the same order of magnitude as that of human arteries (Young's modulus ≈0.88 MPa; tensile strength ≈0.35 MPa). It is demonstrated that the nanofiber topography enables cell adhesion and that the endothelial phenotype is maintained on the nanofibers. Moreover, P/D nanofibers support a stable confluent monolayer of endothelial cells over 14 d. SMCs seeded on nanofibers display similar levels of alpha smooth muscle actin and a lower proliferation rate than cells on 2D cultures. The observations suggest that nanofibers promote a shift to a quiescent contractile phenotype in SMCs.