Bacterial Cellulose Encapsulated in Gelatin as a Scaffold for Cardiac Tissue Engineering

Myocardial infarction is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The rate of heart tissue regeneration is limited following myocardial infarction. The combination of cell therapy and tissue engineering technology can lead to widespread clinical applications. In this study, we investigated the capability of the scaffolds to support cardiomyocyte attachment and growth cardiac tissue engineering.

A bacterial cellulose (BC) scaffold was prepared and coated with gelatin to form a gelatin-coated BC (BCG) scaffold. BC and BCG scaffolds were characterized using SEM, FE-SEM, AFM, and contact angle measurements. Neonatal rat-ventricular cardiomyocytes (nr-vCMCs) were cultured on scaffolds to explore the capability of the scaffolds (for cell attachment and survival) and were compared with human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs)

The results showed that the average diameter of nanofibrils and surface roughness were suitable for cardiomyocyte culture. The contractile activity of nr-vCMCs remained during culture duration, but the mean beating frequency gradually decreased from the fifth to seventh day of   culture. According to the results of light microscopy images, the adhesion of HDFs on the scaffolds was greater than cardiomyocyte attachment throughout the cell culture duration.

In addition to not being cytotoxic, BC and BCG have the appropriate physicochemical properties to preserve the morphology and contractile function of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes.