Porous starch/cellulose nanofibers composite prepared by salt leaching technique for tissue engineering

Bijan Nasri-Nasrabadi; Mohammad Mehrasa; Mohammad Rafienia; Shahin Bonakdar; Tayebeh Behzad; Shahin Gavanji

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.02.075

Porous starch/cellulose nanofibers composite prepared by salt leaching technique for tissue engineering

Carbohydr Polym. 2014 Aug 8:108:232-8. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.02.075. Epub 2014 Mar 12.

Authors

Bijan Nasri-Nasrabadi¹, Mohammad Mehrasa², Mohammad Rafienia³, Shahin Bonakdar⁴, Tayebeh Behzad¹, Shahin Gavanji⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 8415681167, Iran.
² Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Sciences and Technologies, University of Isfahan, Isfahan 81746-73441, Iran. Electronic address: mehrasa.mohammad@yahoo.com.
³ Biosensor Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 81744-176 Isfahan, Iran. Electronic address: m_rafienia@med.mui.ac.ir.
⁴ National Cell Bank of Iran, Pasteur Institute of Iran, 1316943551 Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Young Researchers Club, Khorasgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan, Isfahan, Iran.

PMID: 24751269
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.02.075

Abstract

Starch/cellulose nanofibers composites with proper porosity pore size, mechanical strength, and biodegradability for cartilage tissue engineering have been reported in this study. The porous thermoplastic starch-based composites were prepared by combining film casting, salt leaching, and freeze drying methods. The diameter of 70% nanofibers was in the range of 40-90 nm. All samples had interconnected porous morphology; however an increase in pore interconnectivity was observed when the sodium chloride ratio was increased in the salt leaching. Scaffolds with the total porogen content of 70 wt% exhibited adequate mechanical properties for cartilage tissue engineering applications. The water uptake ratio of nanocomposites was remarkably enhanced by adding 10% cellulose nanofibers. The scaffolds were partially destroyed due to low in vitro degradation rate after more than 20 weeks. Cultivation of isolated rabbit chondrocytes on the fabricated scaffold proved that the incorporation of nanofibers in starch structure improves cell attachment and proliferation.

Keywords: Cellulose; Nanofibers; Salt leaching; Starch; Tissue engineering.