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. 2022 Aug 5;14(15):3190.
doi: 10.3390/polym14153190.

Electrocrystallization of Calcium Oxalate on Electrospun PCL Fibers Loaded with Phytic Acid as a Template

Tatiana Zegers Arce  1 , Mehrdad Yazdani-Pedram  2 , Andrónico Neira-Carrillo  1
Affiliations

Electrocrystallization of Calcium Oxalate on Electrospun PCL Fibers Loaded with Phytic Acid as a Template

Tatiana Zegers Arce et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Crystallization occurs widely in living organisms where different organs could associate with the calcification process, such as the formation of calcium oxalate (CaOx) calculi in the urinary tract. However, the pathogenesis and the role of an inhibitor in the pathological processes involved in urolithiasis is poorly understood. Therefore, the use of phytic acid (PA) as an inhibitor for the organic fibrillar matrix is a novel approach to inhibit the formation of pathological CaOx crystals. Herein, electrospun polymer fiber meshes of polycaprolactone (PCL) with random (R) and aligned (A) fiber orientations containing PA were prepared by electrospinning, and their role as a 3D organic template in in vitro CaOx crystallization was investigated. CaOx crystals were generated on conductive tin indium oxide (ITO)-modified glass with R-PCL and A-PCL fibers in the presence of PA through an electrocrystallization (EC) procedure. This study provides a simple electrochemical approach to evaluate the role of PA as an inhibitor in the nucleation of pathological CaOx crystals. The resulting CaOx crystals were analyzed by chrono-potentiometry, optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). We found that PA and the fiber orientations are key factors in the nucleation and crystal growth of CaOx, achieving the stabilization of healthy CaOx crystal and the inhibition of the pathological crystal form.

Keywords: calcium oxalate; electrocrystallization; phytic acid; polycaprolactone; polymer fibers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Optical images illustrating the manufacture of PCL–ESM on pieces of ITO glass utilized as a working electrode on the CaOx EC glued to (a) a rotating drum (rotation speed of 1800 rpm, clockwise), (b) a flat plate collector, and (c) the EC of the CaOx set-up. The green arrows indicate the working electrode connected to the ITO on both collectors covered with aluminum foil, and the blue, white and yellow arrows show the working, reference and auxiliary electrodes connected to ITO soaked in EC solution.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chronopotentiometry of EC of CaOx performed on ITO modified with PCL fibers and PA at two concentrations. (a) Control (bare ITO), (b) A-PCL, (c) R-PCL, (d) A-PCL with 1 mg/mL PA, (e) R-PCL with 1 mg/mL PA, (f) A-PCL with 1.5 mg/mL PA, and (g) R-PCL with 1.5 mg/mL PA.
Figure 3
Figure 3
OM images of CaOx crystals obtained via EC on ITO modified with PCL fibers: (a) control (without PCL fibers), (b) A-PCL, (c) R-PCL, (d) A-PCL with 1 mg/mL PA, (e) A-PCL with 1.5 mg/mL PA, (f) R-PCL with 1 mg/mL PA, and (g) R-PCL with 1.5 mg/mL PA. (40× magnifications).
Figure 4
Figure 4
SEM images of CaOx crystals obtained via EC on ITO modified with PCL fibers: (a) control (without PCL fibers), (b) A-PCL, (c) R-PCL, (d) A-PCL with 1 mg/mL PA, (e) A-PCL with 1.5 mg/mL PA, (f) R-PCL with 1 mg/mL PA, and (g) R-PCL with 1.5 mg/mL PA (40× magnifications).
Figure 5
Figure 5
SEM-EDS images of CaOx crystals obtained via EC on ITO modified with PCL fibers: (a) control (ITO without PCL fibers), (b) A-PCL, (c) R-PCL, (d) A-PCL with 1.5 mg/mL PA, and (e) R-PCL with 1.5 mg/mL PA.
Figure 6
Figure 6
XRD diffractograms of the CaOx crystals obtained via EC on ITO modified with PCL fibers: (a) control (without PCL fibers), (b) A-PCL, (c) R-PCL, (d) A-PCL with 1 mg/mL PA, (e) A-PCL with 1.5 mg/mL PA, (f) R-PCL with 1 mg/mL PA, and (g) R-PCL with 1.5 mg/mL PA. The designations of D, M, I, P and * correspond to reflections from COD, COM, ITO, and PCL fibers, and the unidentified phases, respectively.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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