Study of the in vitro degradation and characterization of the HaCat keratinocytes adherence on electrospun scaffolds based polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate

Biomaterial scaffolds house and direct cells to grow, exposing them to appropriate growth factors. Most of them are designed to degrade at a controlled rate as the new host tissue replaces them. Here, we show that scaffolds obtained through electrospinning of PVA with 3.5, 4.0, and 5.0 wt% of SA showed a gradual degradation rate under physiological conditions during 100 days of incubation. This behavior is proportional to the SA concentration used, with a mass loss of (41%, 47%, and 49% for each system) after 60 days. Moreover, the dielectric properties (EIS) of the scaffolds correlate with their degradation rate throughout the exposition period (100 days), as indicated by the observed decrease in resistance over time. The 4.0 wt% system showed the lowest capacitance value (1.5 10-5 F) and the highest resistance (4.6106 ohm-cm2) behavior among all concentrations. Additionally, the morphological analysis through SEM and AFM showed a shrank in the surface morphology after the degradation process and determined the degree of roughness (Ra). Higher roughness prior to the cytocompatibility test promoted increased proliferation and adhesion of HaCat cells, as observed in the 4.0 wt% PVA/SA system (1422 nm Ra). These biomaterials have great potential in wound dressing applications.

Automated summary

Biomaterial scaffolds obtained through electrospinning of PVA with different concentrations of SA showed a gradual degradation rate under physiological conditions. The dielectric properties of the scaffolds correlated with their degradation rate, and higher roughness promoted cell proliferation and adhesion.