Preparation and characterization of bacterial cellulose/heparin hybrid nanofiber for potential vascular tissue engineering scaffolds

Blending two polymers is a common and effective way to develop a new material with combinations of properties not possessed by individual polymers and to overcome some limitations of individual components. This study aimed at developing a novel scaffold to mimic natural extracellular matrix (ECM) and to promote blood compatibility. Heparin (Hep) and bacterial cellulose (BC), for the first time, were hybridized to prepare a novel class of nanofibrous scaffold for vascular tissue engineering by the co-synthesis process. The morphology of Hep-BC hybrid nanofiber was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The hybrid was further characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that hybridizing heparin brings anticoagulant sulfate groups into BC nanofiber and that Hep-BC nanofiber has a different structure in comparison to pristine BC. This work paves a new way of improving anticoagulant property of tissue engineered vessels other than coating process. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.