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. 2013 Aug 15:77:110-118.
doi: 10.1016/j.bej.2013.05.006.

Elastomeric Recombinant Protein-based Biomaterials

Nasim Annabi  1 , Suzanne M Mithieux, Gulden Camci-Unal, Mehmet R Dokmeci, Anthony S Weiss, Ali Khademhosseini
Affiliations

Elastomeric Recombinant Protein-based Biomaterials

Nasim Annabi et al. Biochem Eng J. .

Abstract

Elastomeric protein-based biomaterials, produced from elastin derivatives, are widely investigated as promising tissue engineering scaffolds due to their remarkable properties including substantial extensibility, long-term stability, self-assembly, high resilience upon stretching, low energy loss, and excellent biological activity. These elastomers are processed from different sources of soluble elastin such as animal-derived soluble elastin, recombinant human tropoelastin, and elastin-like polypeptides into various forms including three dimensional (3D) porous hydrogels, elastomeric films, and fibrous electrospun scaffolds. Elastin-based biomaterials have shown great potential for the engineering of elastic tissues such as skin, lung and vasculature. In this review, the synthesis and properties of various elastin-based elastomers with their applications in tissue engineering are described.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic of elastogenesis process and structure of human tropoelastin. (a) Elastogenesis process, (b) the human tropoelastin structure is dominated by alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions primarily responsible for coacervation and crosslinking, respectively [1] (Adapted with permission from Elsevier).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The morphology and organization of elastin in (a) aorta, (b) lung, (c) ligament, and (d) ear cartilage [1, 6] (Adapted with permission from Elsevier).
Figure 3
Figure 3
rhTE/α-elastin composite hydrogels fabricated using (a) atmospheric pressure, (b) dense gas CO2, (c, d) skin fibroblast penetration and growth within porous 3D hydrogels [72] (Adapted with permission from Biomaterials).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Electrspun rhTE-based tissue engineered constructs. (a) SEM image of electrospun rhTE fibers, (b) fluorescence image of rhodamine phalloidin/DAPI stained ECs on rhTE fibers, (c) SEM image of an electrospun rhTE/polycaprolactone (PCL) graft, (d) histology of the graft stained with hematoxylin and eosin, (e) rhTE-based graft with multiple 6–0 prolene sutures, and (f) image from the graft in situ [82, 83](Adapted with permission from Elsevier).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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