- Research Article
- Open Access
Poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) thin films can act as autologous cell carriers for skin tissue engineering
https://doi.org/10.2478/s11658-014-0197-1
© Versita Warsaw and Springer-Verlag Wien 2013
- Received: 8 December 2013
- Accepted: 5 May 2014
- Published: 13 May 2014
Abstract
Degradable aliphatic polyesters such as polylactides, polyglycolides and their copolymers are used in several biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. We analyzed the influence of poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) thin films on the adhesion, proliferation, motility and differentiation of primary human skin keratinocytes and fibroblasts in the context of their potential use as cell carriers for skin tissue engineering. We did not observe visible differences in the morphology, focal contact appearance, or actin cytoskeleton organization of skin cells cultured on PLGA films compared to those cultured under control conditions. Moreover, we did not detect biologically significant differences in proliferative activity, migration parameters, level of differentiation, or expression of vinculin when the cells were cultured on PLGA films and tissue culture polystyrene. Our results indicate that PLGA films do not affect the basic functions of primary human skin keratinocytes and fibroblasts and thus show acceptable biocompatibility in vitro, paving the way for their use as biomaterials for skin tissue engineering.
Keywords
- Burns
- Skin regeneration
- Wound healing
- Keratinocytes
- Fibroblasts
- Biomaterials
- PLGA
- Tissue engineering