Growth of fibroblast and vascular smooth muscle cells in fibroin/collagen scaffold

In our recent study, a novel fibroin/collagen scaffold with improved mechanical properties and controllable porous structure was prepared through freeze–drying method. In this research, the cyto-compatibility was further studied, using fibroblast and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) as the model cells. MTT results indicated that the growth of fibroblast and VSMC both further improved in the fibroin/collagen scaffold than in pure fibroin scaffolds. The confocal and SEM results showed that fibroblast cells and VSMCs had better adhesion and spreading properties in the fibroin/collagen scaffolds. Although further studies, such as the extracellular matrix production and the functional gene expression, are necessary to clarify the biocompatibility of the fibroin/collagen scaffolds, the present results indicate that the fibroin/collagen scaffold is a new scaffold material suitable for tissue engineering. On the other hand, the mild and all-aqueous preparation processes also make it possible to embed different growth factors inside the scaffolds to maximize cell functions and the formation of specific tissues.