Biodegradable and Electrically Conductive Melanin‐Poly (3‐Hydroxybutyrate) 3D Fibrous Scaffolds for Neural Tissue Engineering Applications

• Published in: Macromolecular bioscience Vol. 22; no. 12; pp. e2200315 - n/a
• Main Authors: Agrawal, Lokesh, Vimal, Sunil Kumar, Barzaghi, Paolo, Shiga, Takashi, Terenzio, Marco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.12.2022
• Subjects: 3-Hydroxybutyric Acid - pharmacology; Animals; Biocompatibility; Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Biocompatible Materials - pharmacology; Biodegradability; biodegradable; Biodegradation; Biomaterials; Biomedical materials; Body fluids; Brain injury; Cell adhesion; Chemical compounds; Context; Electrical properties; electroconductive; electrospinning; Extracellular matrix; Fibers; fibrous scaffolds; Functional groups; Hydroxybutyrates - pharmacology; Injuries; Injury prevention; Melanin; Melanins - pharmacology; Mice; Motor neurons; Natural polymers; Nerve Tissue; Nervous tissues; neural tissue engineering; Neurons; Peripheral nerves; Pharmacology; Polyesters - chemistry; Polyesters - pharmacology; Polyhydroxybutyrate; Polymers; Polymers - chemistry; Poly‐3‐hydroxybutyrate; Regeneration; Scaffolds; Sensory neurons; Spinal cord injuries; Tissue engineering; Tissue Engineering - methods; Tissue Scaffolds - chemistry; Toxicity; neural tissue engineering; biodegradable; electrospinning; Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate; melanin; fibrous scaffolds; electroconductive
• ISSN: 1616-5187; 1616-5195
• DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202200315

Due to the severity of peripheral nerve injuries (PNI) and spinal cord injuries (SCI), treatment options for patients are limited. In this context, biomaterials designed to promote regeneration and reinstate the lost function are being explored. Such biomaterials should be able to mimic the biological, chemical, and physical cues of the extracellular matrix for maximum effectiveness as therapeutic agents. Development of biomaterials with desirable physical, chemical, and electrical properties, however, has proven challenging. Here a novel biomaterial formulation achieved by blending the pigment melanin and the natural polymer Poly‐3‐hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is proposed. Physio‐chemical measurements of electrospun fibers reveal a feature rich surface nano‐topography, a semiconducting‐nature, and brain‐tissue‐like poroviscoelastic properties. Resulting fibers improve cell adhesion and growth of mouse sensory and motor neurons, without any observable toxicity. Further, the presence of polar functional groups positively affect the kinetics of fibers degradation at a pH (≈7.4) comparable to that of body fluids. Thus, melanin‐PHB blended scaffolds are found to be physio‐chemically, electrically, and biologically compatible with neural tissues and could be used as a regenerative modality for neural tissue injuries. A biomaterial for scaffolds intended to promote regeneration of nerve tissue after injury is developed. This biomaterial, obtained by mixing the pigment melanin and the natural polymer PHB, is biodegradable, electrically conductive, and beneficial to the growth of motor and sensory neurons. Thus, it is believed that this biomaterial can be used in the context of healthcare applications. A biomaterial for scaffolds intended to promote regeneration of nerve tissue after injury is developed. This biomaterial, obtained by mixing the pigment melanin and the natural polymer Poly‐3‐hydroxybutyrate (PHB), is biodegradable, electrically conductive, and beneficial to the growth of motor and sensory neurons. Thus,  this biomaterial has the potential to be used in the context of healthcare applications.