DEVELOPMENT OF ALGINATE AND CHITOSAN MEMBRANES REINFORCED WITH FIBERS AND CONTAINING GROWTH FACTOR FOR TISSUE ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS

Abstract

The use of three-dimensional scaffolds obtained from natural polymers, such as alginate andchitosan, represents a promising alternative for the attachment and growth of mesenchymal stem cells for tissue engineering applications. Alginate and chitosan are biodegradable,biocompatible, non-toxic and can be used together to form a polyelectrolyte complex, which have more effective functional attributes than either the chitosan or alginate separately. Although polysaccharide scaffolds play an important role as a support material to cell adhesion, they are often unable to fully provide the necessary microenvironment for tissue development. The use of growth factors has been considered an attractive strategy to improve the biological functions of different types of scaffolds and to induce cell proliferation, attachment and differentiation during in vitro culture. Recombinant epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) is a bioactive compound known to stimulate the proliferation of a wide variety of cells, specially of epidermal cells. However, growth factors are susceptible to proteolysis anddenaturation, presenting a short-term biological activity. To overcome these limitations and topromote sustainable delivery, the incorporation of the rhEGF growth factor into alginate orchitosan nanoparticles is proposed herein. The nanoparticles will be characterized for theirsize, encapsulation efficiency and in vitro release behavior. In order to increase themechanical strength of the biomaterial, alginate-chitosan composites will be reinforced withnatural or synthetic suture yarns in different proportions, sizes and orientation in thepolymeric matrix. The membranes prepared will be characterized according to physicalchemicalaspects and regarding both direct and indirect cytotoxicity to murine mesenchymal stem cells. By the end of this project, an innovative alginate-chitosan composite scaffold with suitable properties for application in skin tissue engineering is expected to obtained.