Fabrication of silk fibroin nanocomposite containing ion copper for inducing angiogenesis by endothelial cells

The aim of this study was to prepare freeze-dried silk fibroin nanocomposite containing ion copper loaded silk fibroin nanoparticles to induce angiogenesis.

Here, the silk fibroin nanocomposite scaffold containing ion copper was used to induce angiogenesis in endothelial cells. To prepare the silk fibroin nanoparticles containing ion copper, identified amounts of ion copper were added to the fibroin solution. Then, the nanoparticles were embedded in the freeze-dried silk fibroin scaffold. The size and zeta potential, morphology, and the chemical structure of the nanoparticles were measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Moreover, the release of ion copper from the scaffold and the biocompatibility of the scaffold were evaluated by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and MTT assay.

The obtained results showed that adding different concentrations of ion copper to fibroin nanoparticles increased the size of the nanoparticles from 128 nm to 185, 220, and 282 nm. Moreover, the growth and proliferation of HUVEC cells on nanocomposites was increased (140%) compared to the control.

It should be concluded that copper ion doped SFNPs could appropriately induce the proliferation of endothelial cells which consequently influence the angiogenesis.