Chitosan sulfate: engineering a biomimetic growth factor delivery system
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1
UNSW Australia, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Australia
Tissue engineering and regeneration is an inter-disciplinary field of research that combines principles from both biology and engineering. While the use of biomaterials has long been associated with this field of research, more recently there has been a paradigm shift for the modern biomaterial to be biomimetic, through replication of the in vivo situations they are trying to substitute. Growth factors and their use as a therapeutic is of great interest in tissue regeneration applications however, to achieve a beneficial response, appropriate administration is required. This study aims to engineer materials to mimic the sulfated sugar structures, known as glycosaminoglycans that protect and deliver growth factors in vivo. Specifically this study aims is to modify the naturally derived polysaccharide chitosan to incorporate sulfate groups, and evaluate its ability to bind and signal growth factors and cellular interactions.
A water soluble chitosan derivative, chitosan-arginine, was homogeneously sulfated to incorporate sulfate groups. Materials were characterised using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and elemental analysis techniques to determine if sulfation had occurred, the position and degree of sulfation. Growth factor interactions with the engineered materials were then evaluated, as well the materials as its ability to drive cell phenotype.
Results showed production of chitosan sulfate with successful sulfation of the chitosan-arginine materials. Additionally the BaF cell assay demonstrated the ability for the engineered materials to bind and signal fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2). Gene expression of human foetal chondroblasts following exposure to chitosan sulfate revealed up-regulation of osteogenic factors following exposure to the un-sulfated starting materials, where contact with the sulfated materials revealed up-regulation of chondrogenic factors. Furthermore, preliminary evaluation of growth factor binding using surface plasmon resonance shows an increase in binding of FGF-2 to chitosan sulfate as compared to the unsulfated materials.
This study demonstrated the ability to engineer chitosan sulfate through incorporation of sulfate groups to chitosan-arginine in the aim of mimicking the glycosaminoglycans. The ability for engineered chitosan sulfate to bind and signal growth factors was showed as a step towards developing biomimetic materials for growth factor delivery.
Dr Shenda Baker; Dr William Wiesmann
Keywords:
Biomimetic,
growth factor
Conference:
10th World Biomaterials Congress, Montréal, Canada, 17 May - 22 May, 2016.
Presentation Type:
General Session Oral
Topic:
Biomimetic materials
Citation:
Farrugia
B,
Whitelock
J and
Lord
M
(2016). Chitosan sulfate: engineering a biomimetic growth factor delivery system.
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Conference Abstract:
10th World Biomaterials Congress.
doi: 10.3389/conf.FBIOE.2016.01.01019
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Received:
27 Mar 2016;
Published Online:
30 Mar 2016.
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Correspondence:
Dr. Brooke Farrugia, UNSW Australia, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Sydney, Australia, Email1
Dr. John Whitelock, UNSW Australia, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Sydney, Australia, j.whitelock@unsw.edu.au
Dr. Megan Lord, UNSW Australia, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Sydney, Australia, m.lord@unsw.edu.au