Electrospun Silk Fibroin/kappa-Carrageenan Hybrid Nanofibers with Enhanced Osteogenic Properties for Bone Regeneration Applications

Simple Summary: Bone tissue engineering has recently been considered as a potential alternative approach to treating patients with bone disorders/defects caused by tumors, trauma, and infection. Scaffolds play a crucial role in the field because they can serve as a template that can provide optimal structural and functional support for cells. In this study, we prepared a series of electrospun silk fibroin/kappa-carrageenan nanofibrous membranes with the aim of mimicking bone extracellular matrix structure and composition and improving the biological properties of silk-fibroin-based nanofibers. Our research found that a combinational approach blending kappa-carrageenan and silk fibroin could enhance the biological properties of the nanostructured scaffold. kappa-carrageenan could also enhance the osteogenic potential and bioactivity properties of silk fibroin nanofibers, while genipin crosslinking preserved the mechanical strength of hybrid nanofibrous mats, indicating that the electrospun hybrid scaffolds could be a potential candidate for bone regeneration applications.

Abstract: In this study, a novel nanofibrous hybrid scaffold based on silk fibroin (SF) and different weight ratios of kappa-carrageenan (k-CG) (1, 3, and 5 mg of k-CG in 1 mL of 12 wt% SF solution) was prepared using electrospinning and genipin (GP) as a crosslinker. The presence of k-CG in SF nanofibers was analyzed and confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that GP could cause SF conformation to shift from random coils or α-helices to β-sheets and thereby facilitate a more crystalline and stable structure. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and Young’s modulus of the SF mats were enhanced after crosslinking with GP from 3.91 ± 0.2 MPa to 8.50 ± 0.3 MPa and from 9.17 ± 0.3 MPa to 31.2 ± 1.2 MP, respectively. Notably, while the mean fiber diameter, wettability, and biodegradation rate of the SF nanofibers increased with increasing k-CG content, a decreasing effect was determined in terms of UTS and Young’s modulus. Additionally, better cell viability and proliferation were observed on hybrid scaffolds with the highest k-CG content. Osteogenic differentiation was determined from alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and Alizarin Red staining and expression of osteogenic marker genes. To this end, we noticed that k-CG enhanced ALP activity, calcium deposition, and expression of osteogenic genes on the hybrid scaffolds. Overall, hybridization of SF and k-CG can introduce a promising scaffold for bone regeneration; however, more biological evaluations are required.