Abstract
Microcarrier cell scaffolds have potential as injectable cell delivery vehicles or as building blocks for tissue engineering. The use of small cell carriers allows for a 'bottom up' approach to tissue assembly when moulding microparticles into larger structures, which can facilitate the introduction of hierarchy by layering different matrices and cell types, while evenly distributing cells through the structure. In this work, silk fibroin (SF), purified from Bombyx mori cocoons, was blended with gelatin (G) to produce materials composed of varying ratios of the two components (SF: G 25:75, 50:50, and 75:25). Cell compatibility to these materials was first confirmed in two-dimensional culture and found to be equivalent to standard tissue culture plastic, and better than SF or G alone. The mechanical properties of the blends were investigated and the blended materials were found to have increased Young's moduli over SF alone. Microcarriers of SF/G blends with defined diameters were generated in a reproducible manner through the use of an axisymmetric flow focussing device, constructed from off-the-shelf parts and fittings. These SF/G microcarriers supported adhesion of rat mesenchymal stem cells with high degrees of efficiency under dynamic culture conditions and, after culturing in osteogenic differentiation medium, cells were shown to have characteristics typical of osteoblasts. This work illustrates that microcarriers composed of SF/G blends are promising building blocks for osteogenic tissue engineering.
DOI
10.1016/j.msec.2019.110116
Publication Date
2020-01-01
Publication Title
Materials Science and Engineering: C
Volume
106
Publisher
Elsevier BV
ISSN
0928-4931
Embargo Period
2024-11-19
Recommended Citation
Luetchford, K., Chaudhuri, J., & De Bank, P. (2020) 'Silk fibroin/gelatin microcarriers as scaffolds for bone tissue engineering', Materials Science and Engineering: C, 106. Elsevier BV: Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msec.2019.110116
