Cintia Perez

 

Gaststudentin, Nationale Universität Mar del Plata, Argentinien

Development and Characterization of Cross-linked Electrospun Zein/Poly(glycerol sebacate) Fiber Mats for Cardiac Application

Betreuer (FAU): Lena Vogt, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

In this research project electrospun zein/poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) fiber mats will be fabricated for application as cardiac patch. This project follows from our early studies on zein-PGS fiber mats [1]. PGS is a biodegradable, biocompatible and hydrophilic polymer, which is difficult to electrospin due to its intrinsically low viscosity. Natural proteins, such as zein, are used to improve the biocompatibility and the cell-material interaction, but they lack aqueous stability and mechanical strength. To overcome this limitation, this study will also focus on the in-situ cross-linking of zein and zein/PGS blends. The fabricated fiber mats are investigated regarding their morphological, physiochemical and degradation properties. This project is carried out in the framework of the I.DEAR students exchange program funded by the German-Argentinean University Centre (CUAA-DAHZ) in collaboration with National University of Mar del Plata, Argentina.

[1] Dippold, D., Tallawi, M., Tansaz, S., Roether; J. A., Boccaccini, A. R., Novel electrospun poly(glycerol sebacate)-zein fiber mats as candidate materials for cardiac tissue engineering, Europ. Polym. J. 75 (2016) 504–513.