Fabrication and cytotoxicity assessment of cellulose nanofibrils using Bassia eriophora biomass

Abstract

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNs) are eco-friendly, biodegradable, biocompatible, renewable, cost-effective, and possess excellent mechanical properties. We fabricated CNs from Bassia eriophora biomass, and the structure and morphology were investigated by transmission electron microscopy that revealed 2-6 μm long fibrillated structures with diameters of 15-40 nm. CNs biocompatibility was assessed using in vitro based assays, including cell viability assay, AO/EB staining, Hoechst staining, JC-1 staining, and gene expression analysis. The assessment of cellular and nuclear morphologies of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) showed that CNs do not affect cell viability and morphology. JC-1 staining results revealed that CNs do not cause mitochondrial membrane potential of hMSCs. Cell-based in vitro assays revealed that CNs are biocompatible even at high concentrations. The CNs effect on cell cycle regulated gene expression was studied that results suggested that CCND1 and CCND3 gene expression levels increased slightly, when compared with control. But CCNG1, CYCS3, and CCNC1 genes has no significant difference was observed. Overall, our results suggested that CNs can be used for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Keywords: Bassia eriophora; Biocompatible; Cellulose nanofibril.