Electrospinning 3D bioactive glasses for wound healing

Biomed Mater. 2020 Feb 13;15(1):015014. doi: 10.1088/1748-605X/ab591d.

Abstract

An electrospinning technique was used to produce three-dimensional (3D) bioactive glass fibrous scaffolds, in the SiO2-CaO sol-gel system, for wound healing applications. Previously, it was thought that 3D cotton wool-like structures could only be produced from sol-gel when the sol contained calcium nitrate, implying that the Ca2+ and its electronic charge had a significant effect on the structure produced. Here, fibres with a 3D appearance were also electrospun from compositions containing only silica. A polymer binding agent was added to inorganic sol-gel solutions, enabling electrospinning prior to bioactive glass network formation and the polymer was removed by calcination. While the addition of Ca2+ contributes to the 3D morphology, here we show that other factors, such as relative humidity, play an important role in producing the 3D cotton-wool-like macrostructure of the fibres. A human dermal fibroblast cell line (CD-18CO) was exposed to dissolution products of the samples. Cell proliferation and metabolic activity tests were carried out and a VEGF ELISA showed a significant increase in VEGF production in cells exposed to the bioactive glass samples compared to control in DMEM. A novel SiO2-CaO nanofibrous scaffold was created that showed tailorable physical and dissolution properties, the control and composition of these release products are important for directing desirable wound healing interactions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biocompatible Materials / chemistry*
  • Calcium Compounds / chemistry
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism
  • Glass / chemistry*
  • Humans
  • Ions
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Materials Testing
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic
  • Oxides / chemistry
  • Phase Transition
  • Polymers / chemistry
  • Regeneration
  • Silicon Dioxide / chemistry
  • Skin / metabolism
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / metabolism
  • Wound Healing*

Substances

  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Calcium Compounds
  • Ions
  • Oxides
  • Polymers
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • Silicon Dioxide
  • lime