Development of a bacterial cellulose-gelatin composite as a suitable scaffold for cardiac tissue engineering

Abstract

Abstract Purpose Cardiac tissue engineering is suggested as a promising approach to overcome problems associated with impaired myocardium. We introduced a novel scaffold which supports cardiomyocyte attachment and growth and might be a suitable candidate for cardiac tissue engineering. Methods Bacterial cellulose (BC) membranes were produced by Komagataeibacter xylinus and coated or mixed with gelatin to make gelatin-coated BC (BCG) or gelatin-mixed BC (mBCG) scaffolds, respectively. BC based-scaffolds were characterized via SEM, FTIR, XRD, and AFM. Neonatal rat-ventricular cardiomyocytes (nr-vCMCs) were cultured on the scaffolds to check the capability of the composites for cardiomyocyte attachment, growth and expansion. Results The average nanofibrils diameter in all scaffolds was suitable (~ 30–40 nm) for nr-vCMCs culture. Pore diameter, surface roughness, stiffness in mBCG were in accordance with cardiomyocytes requirements, so that mBCG could better support attachment, growth and expansion of nr-vCMCs. Conclusion According to our results, mBCG scaffold was the most suitable composite for cardiomyocyte culture, regarding its physicochemical and cell characteristics. It is suggested that improvement in mBCG stability and cell attachment features may provide a convenient scaffold for cardiac tissue engineering.