The development of porous alginate/elastin/PEG composite matrix for cardiovascular engineering

The development of suitable three-dimensional matrices for the maintenance of cellular viability and differentiation is critical for applications in tissue engineering and cell biology. To this end, gel matrices of different proportions of alginate/elastin/polyethylene glycol (Alg/Ela/PEG) were prepared and examined. The composite matrix membranes were evaluated for their porous scaffold using SEM, enzymatic degradation and water content. An equal blend of Alg/Ela with a ratio of Alg/Ela:PEG (7:3) was selected for fabricating Alg/Ela/PEG scaffolds for this study. The Alg/Ela/PEG membranes fabricated at 20°C and -20°C had a mean surface pore size of 35-45 μm. However, their ultrastructures had shown bigger pore structures (60-75 μm) compared to their surface. It is interesting to note that the membranes of Al/Ela/PEG prepared at 20°C had larger ultrastructural pores than that of membranes prepared at -20°C. Further, the SEM studies revealed that in the absence of PEG the composite membranes of Alg/Ela formed with less porous structures. The water content of membranes prepared at 20°C was higher with Alg/Ela/PEG (61.6 ± 4.8%), compared to Alg/Ela (49.9 ± 0.3%). The enzymatic degradation and water content studies also revealed that the membranes fabricated at -20°C had high water uptake and low enzymatic degradation, as that of the membranes prepared at 20°C. In other words the larger pore structured membranes had less water content and high degradation profile. This study proposes that this novel composite matrix produces a hierarchical structure that is useful for generating tissue scaffolds for repairing the failing cardiac muscles. However, more detailed investigations with cytocompatibility studies are needed to find applications.