Preparation of nanocellulose and lignin-carbohydrate complex composite biological carriers and culture of heart coronary artery endothelial cells

Lignin-carbohydrate complexes, i.e. LCC-48 and LCC-72 were isolated with vibrational ball milling for 48 h and 72 h, respectively. Composite tubular carriers were prepared by casting film formation and crimping with the LCCs and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) as raw materials. The structures and chemical properties of different milling time LCCs were analyzed. The carriers were used to culture human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC), and the activities of these cells were examined in vitro. The FT-IR and chemical composition results showed that the biocarriers were composed of lignin moieties and polysaccharides. The SEM and inverted microscope studies revealed that a large number of cells adhered to the porous carriers. HCAEC grown on the LCC-72/CNF carriers outperformed the LCC-48/CNF and control groups in every observed category, including cell proliferation rate and metabolic activity. In summary, tubular carriers prepared from LCC/CNF composite had high biocompatibility and have potential applications in heart tissue engineering. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.