Collagen incorporated functionalized bacterial cellulose composite: a macromolecular approach for successful tissue engineering applications

Here we propose a macromolecular approach for developing a composite using collagen and functionalized bacterial cellulose (f-BC) for tissue engineering with improved cell adhesion and an acceptable degradation profile. In this study, the pure bacterial cellulose (BC) synthesized from Acetobacter xylinus using a standard Hestrin-Schramm medium has been functionalized through four different chemical routes. The successful functionalization of BC was primarily evaluated using conductometric titration, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and zeta potential measurements. The nano fibrous surface morphologies of the scaffolds were confirmed using field emission scanning electron microscopy. The porosity and surface area analysis of the scaffolds were carried out using N-2 adsorption-desorption using standard BET and BJH methods. Hydrophilicity, comprehensive degradation profile, and buffer uptake ability of the scaffolds were found to be satisfactory for tissue engineering applications. After a series of in vitro characterizations, f-BC treated with amine (positively charged) and f-BC treated with (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl (negatively charged) were further selected for composite preparation with collagen and genipin as crosslinker for potential skin and bone tissue engineering. The functionalization process was carried out merely not only to enhance the biological functions of pure BC yet also to introduce sites for grafting other biomolecules to fabricate stable composites. The enhanced cell viability efficacy and non-toxicity were further observed for the proposed f-BC/collagen composite.