From waste of marine culture to natural patch in cardiac tissue engineering

• Published in: Bioactive materials Vol. 6; no. 7; pp. 2000 - 2010
• Main Authors: He, Yutong, Hou, Honghao, Wang, Shuqi, Lin, Rurong, Wang, Leyu, Yu, Lei, Qiu, Xiaozhong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China Elsevier B.V 01.07.2021; KeAi Publishing; KeAi Communications Co., Ltd
• Subjects: Biofouling; Cardiac tissue engineering; Cellulose; Myocardial infarction; Sea squirts; Myocardial infarction; Sea squirts; Biofouling; Cellulose; Cardiac tissue engineering
• ISSN: 2452-199X; 2452-199X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2020.12.011

Sea squirt, as a highly invasive species and main biofouling source in marine aquaculture, has seriously threatened the biodiversity and aquaculture economy. On the other hand, a conductive biomaterial with excellent biocompatibility, and appropriate mechanical property from renewable resources is urgently required for tissue engineering patches. To meet these targets, we presented a novel and robust strategy for sustainable development aiming at the marine pollution via recycling and upgrading the waste biomass-sea squirts and serving as a renewable resource for functional bio-scaffold patch in tissue engineering. We firstly demonstrated that the tunic cellulose derived natural self-conductive scaffolds successfully served as functional cardiac patches, which significantly promote the maturation and spontaneous contraction of cardiomyocytes both in vitro and enhance cardiac function of MI rats in vivo. We believe this novel, feasible and “Trash to Treasure” strategy to gain cardiac patches via recycling the waste biomass must be promising and beneficial for marine environmental bio-pollution issue and sustainable development considering the large-scale consumption potential for tissue engineering and other applications. [Display omitted] •Fouling sea squirts used as scaffold materials can effectively solve the pollution problem of marine aquaculture.•The natural electrical conductivity of the sea squirts derived scaffold is similar to that of natural myocardial tissue.•Cellulose scaffold from sea squirts has a good orientation, and its structure is similar to natural myocardial tissue.•Sea squirts cellulose derived natural self-conductive scaffolds were successfully served as the functional cardiac patches.