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The Development of Porous Alginate/Elastin/PEG Composite Matrix for Cardiovascular Engineering
The development of suitable three-dimensional matrices for the maintenance of cellular viability and differentiation is critical for applications in tissue engineering and cell biology. To this end, gel matrices of different proportions of alginate/elastin/polythylene glycol (Alg/Ela/PEG) were prepa...
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Published in: | Journal of biomaterials applications 2003-04, Vol.17 (4), p.287-301 |
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Main Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | The development of suitable three-dimensional matrices for the maintenance of cellular viability and differentiation is critical for applications in tissue engineering and cell biology. To this end, gel matrices of different proportions of alginate/elastin/polythylene glycol (Alg/Ela/PEG) were prepared and examined. The composite matrix membranes were evaluated for their porous scaffold using SEM, enzymatic degradation and water content. An equal blend of Alg/Ela with a ratio of Alg/Ela: PEG (7: 3) was selected for fabricating Alg/Ela/PEG scaffolds for this study. The Alg/Ela/PEG membranes fabricated at 20°C and -20°C had a mean surface pore size of 35-45 μm. However, their ultrastructures had shown bigger pore structures (60-75 μm) compared to their surface. It is interesting to note that the membranes of Alg/Ela/PEG prepared at 20°C had larger ultrastructural pores than that of membranes prepared at -20°C. Further, the SEM studies revealed that in the absence of PEG the composite membranes of Alg/Ela formed with less porous structures.
The water content of membranes prepared at 20°C was higher with Alg/Ela/PEG (61.6 ± 4.8%), compared to Alg/Ela (49.9 ± 0.3%). The enzymatic degradation and water content studies also revealed that the membranes fabricated at -20°C had high water uptake and low enzymatic degradation, as that of the membranes prepared at 20°C. In other words the larger pore structured membranes had less water content and high degradation profile. This study proposes that this novel composite matrix produces a hierarchical structure that is useful for generating tissue scaffolds for repairing the failing cardiac muscles. However, more detailed investigations with cytocompatibility studies are needed to find applications. |
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ISSN: | 0885-3282 1530-8022 |
DOI: | 10.1177/0885328203017004004 |