Curcuminoid-Tailored Interfacial Free Energy of Hydrophobic Fibers for Enhanced Biological Properties

Author(s)

de Deus, Wevernilson F. ^[1] ; de Franca, Bruna M. ^[2] ; Forero, Josue Sebastian B. ^[2] ; Granato, Alessandro E. C. ^[3] ; Ulrich, Henning ^[3] ; Doria, Anelise C. O. C. ^[4] ; Amaral, Marcello M. ^[1] ; Slabon, Adam ^[5] ; Rodrigues, Bruno V. M. ^{[1, 5]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Brasil, Inst Cient & Tecnol, BR-08230030 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Quim, BR-21941909 Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Quim, Dept Bioquim, BR-05508000 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Vale Paraiba, Lab Biotecnol & Plasmas Eletr, IP&D, BR-12244000 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP - Brazil

^[5] Stockholm Univ, Dept Mat & Environm Chem, S-10691 Stockholm - Sweden

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES; v. 13, n. 21, p. 24493-24504, JUN 2 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

The ability of mimicking the extracellular matrix architecture has gained electrospun scaffolds a prominent space into the tissue engineering field. The high surface-to-volume aspect ratio of nanofibers increases their bioactivity while enhancing the bonding strength with the host tissue. Over the years, numerous polyesters, such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), have been consolidated as excellent matrices for biomedical applications. However, this class of polymers usually has a high hydrophobic character, which limits cell attachment and proliferation, and therefore decreases biological interactions. In this way, functionalization of polyester-based materials is often performed in order to modify their interfacial free energy and achieve more hydrophilic surfaces. Herein, we report the preparation, characterization, and in vitro assessment of electrospun PLA fibers with low contents (0.1 wt %) of different curcuminoids featuring pi-conjugated systems, and a central beta-diketone unit, including curcumin itself. We evaluated the potential of these materials for photochemical and biomedical purposes. For this, we investigated their optical properties, water contact angle, and surface features while assessing their in vitro behavior using SH-SY5Y cells. Our results demonstrate the successful generation of homogeneous and defect-free fluorescent fibers, which are noncytotoxic, exhibit enhanced hydrophilicity, and as such greater cell adhesion and proliferation toward neuroblastoma cells. The unexpected tailoring of the scaffolds' interfacial free energy has been associated with the strong interactions between the PLA hydrophobic sites and the nonpolar groups from curcuminoids, which indicate its role for releasing hydrophilic sites from both parts. This investigation reveals a straightforward approach to produce photoluminescent 3D-scaffolds with enhanced biological properties by using a polymer that is essentially hydrophobic combined with the low contents of photoactive and multifunctional curcuminoids. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/18826-3 - Sustainable nanostructured materials based on biodegradable polymers and luminescent carbon nanoparticles
• Grantee: Bruno Vinícius Manzolli Rodrigues
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/21851-0 - Development of optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and signal analysis methodologies for the evaluation of cutaneous angiogenesis
• Grantee: Marcello Magri Amaral
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants