Hybrid gelatin scaffolds typical of collagen-containing biological fibers

Hybrid gelatin-poly-L-lactide scaffolds were produced with an affinity for water that could be controlled. The hydrophilicity was controlled by binding increasing concentrations of hyaluronic acid to the free amine residues of gelatin, as reported in the peer-reviewed journal Tissue Engineering, Part C: Methods. Click here to read the article now.

Katja Schenke-Layland, PhD, from Eberhard Karls University (and co-Editor-in-Chief of Tissue Engineering, Part B: Reviews), and coauthors showed that the scaffolds structurely mimicked the complexity of the extracellular matrix. When excited by second harmonic generation (SHG), they produced a signal that is typical of collagen-containing biological fibers.

“Profiting from the SHG signal and the natural endogenous autofluorescence of gelatin, we were able to marker-independently and non-invasively image the electrospun scaffolds either alone or after the seeding of human dermal fibroblasts,” stated the investigators.  

“Nanofibrillar electrospun scaffolds are a very important class of scaffolds to be used for tissue regeneration and drug delivery systems, as they mimic the biological extracellular matrix. This manuscript presents a crucial step in the further development of such scaffolds and makes it possible to create an even more physiological environment for the culturing of cells and the in vitro testing of drugs,” says Methods Co-Editor-in-Chief John A. Jansen, DDS, PhD, Professor, Department of Biomaterials, Radboud University Medical Center, The Netherlands.

About the Journal
Tissue Engineering is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online and in print in three parts: Part A, the flagship journal published 24 times per year; Part B: Reviews, published bimonthly, and Part C: Methods, published 12 times per year. The Journal is led by Co-Editors-In-Chief of Tissue Engineering, Part A, Antonios Mikos, PhD, Louis Calder Professor at Rice University, Houston, TX, and John P. Fisher, PhD, Fischell Family Distinguished Professor & Department Chair, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland; Part B: Reviews Co-Editors-In-Chief Katja Schenke-Layland, MSc, PhD, Professor for Medical Technologies and Regenerative Medicine, University Women's Hospital at Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Director of The Natural and Medical Sciences Institute (NMI) at the University of Tübingen (Germany); and Heungsoo Shin, PhD, Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Hanyang University (Seoul, Korea); and Part C: Methods Co-Editors-In-Chief John A. Jansen, DDS, PhD, Professor and Head, Department of Biomaterials, Radboud University Medical Center (Nijmegen, Netherlands) and Xiumei Wang, PhD, Professor, Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Biomimetic Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University (Beijing, China). The Journal brings together scientific and medical experts in the fields of biomedical engineering, material science, molecular and cellular biology, and genetic engineering. Tissue Engineering is the official journal of the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS). Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed online at the Tissue Engineering website. 

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s more than 100 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.