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Nanofiber Induced Silk Fibroin Nanofiber/Silk Fibroin (SFNF/SF) Fibrous Scaffolds for 3D Cell Culture

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Abstract

Fibrous 3D scaffold with small fiber diameter has the similar topographic and structural characteristics of native extracellular matrix (ECM), which provides the beneficial microenvironment for cell adhesion, growth, migration, proliferation. However, the pore structure of the biopolymer scaffold is crucial for cell regulation and tissue regeneration in practical application. In this report, we proposed a nanofiber induced silk fibroin nanofibers/silk fibroin (SFNF/SF) fibrous scaffold with homogeneous micron pores using fast freeze-drying technology under − 196 °C. The physical, chemical and biological performance of the scaffold was investigated. Ethanol post treatment of the scaffold led to the conformation transition of silk fibroin from random coil (silk I) to beta-sheet (silk II) and increase of the crystallinity of the scaffold, which greatly improved the stability of the scaffold in water. Scaffolds made from 2 to 6% SFNF/SF solution with SFNF/SF ratio ranging from 1:1 to 1:8 exhibited three dimensional (3D) fibrous structure with porosity of 80–85% and pore size ranging from 5 to 15 μm due to the entanglement of the nanofibers. And the fibrous structure of the scaffolds can be adjusted by controlling the concentration of the SFNF/SF solution and the SFNF/SF ratio. Cell culture suggested that the 3D fibrous network structure with micron pores showed advantages for cell migration comparing with the lamella structure scaffold. After 7 day’s culture, cells migrated to about 240 μm inside the 6% 1:1 scaffold, while only about 160 μm inside the 6% 1:16 scaffold. The nanofiber induced micro porous SFNF/SF scaffolds by fast freeze-drying technology is potential for preparation of micron porous scaffold.

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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The present work is supported by Scientific Research Project of Tianjin Municipal Education Commission (No. 2019ZD01) and the Industry-University Cooperative Education Program of the Ministry of Education (No.BINTECH-KJZX-20220831-22). We would like to thank to the Analytical & Testing Center of Tiangong University for emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Textiles Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China

    Shiyang Chen, Tongda Lei, Yunrui Zhang, Jie Fan & Yong Liu

  2. Central Laboratory, Tianjin Beichen Hospital, Tianjin, China

    Huancheng Wu

  3. Department of Osteoarthritis, Tianjin Beichen Hospital, Tianjin, China

    Sen He

  4. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin, 300387, China

    Wei Liu

  5. State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes/National Center for International Joint Research on Separation Membranes, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China

    Wei Liu

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  1. Shiyang Chen
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Correspondence to Jie Fan or Yong Liu.

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Chen, S., Lei, T., Zhang, Y. et al. Nanofiber Induced Silk Fibroin Nanofiber/Silk Fibroin (SFNF/SF) Fibrous Scaffolds for 3D Cell Culture. Fibers Polym 24, 433–444 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12221-023-00113-y

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