Novel electrospun poly(glycerol sebacate)–zein fiber mats as candidate materials for cardiac tissue engineering

Summary

A cardiac patch built from a biodegradable, elastic polymer is a promising way to support and deliver healthy cells to damaged heart muscle after a heart attack. This study develops a new cardiac-construct material by blending poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) — a soft elastomer whose mechanical properties resemble myocardium — with zein, a protein from corn. Because PGS on its own has very low viscosity and is difficult to electrospin, it was combined with zein and spun using acetic acid as a benign solvent, and the process parameters were optimised to give bead-free fibres with homogeneous morphology. In-vitro degradation in PBS showed the fibre mats stayed physicochemically stable over 28 days with only a slight pH drop. Compared with similar fibre systems, the PGS–zein mats offered superior mechanical and physicochemical properties, marking them as attractive candidates for cardiac-patch applications.

Authors & Affiliations

• Dirk Dippold

  Institute of Biomaterials, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
• Marwa Tallawi

  Institute of Biomaterials, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
• Samira Tansaz

  Institute of Biomaterials, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
• Judith A. Roether

  Institute of Polymeric Materials, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
• Aldo R. Boccaccini Corresponding

  Institute of Biomaterials, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany

Topics

Materials

Linari Electrospinning Systems