Novel scaffold fabricated from electrospun polyvinyl alcohol/ human serum albumin / gelatin nanofibers for culturing testicular cells of azoospermic patients

Background: Tissue engineering could be the choice method for improvement of fertility preservation in some male infertility situations. One of the important principles in tissue engineering is using biocompatible and biodegradable materials for fabricating scaffolds. The natural polymers like albumin as the most abundant protein in the mammalian blood have a respectable ability to promote cell adhesion as an extracellular matrix (ECM) component. We designed electrospun scaffolds from polyvinyl alcohol/ human serum albumin/ gelatin (PVA/HSA/gelatin), for culturing human testicular cells (hTC) from testicular sperm extraction (TESE) samples.Methods: The hTCs were isolated from three non-obstructive azoospermic TESE samples after obtaining signed informed consent. After enzymatic cell isolation and following five passages, the hTCs were plated onto the electrospun PVA/HSA/gelatin nanofiber scaffolds. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was done before and after the 3D cell culture. Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay at days 7 and 14. To investigate the homing of the hTCs within the nanofiber scaffolds, hematoxylin and eosin staining were done.Result: The HTCs were successfully implanted on the electrospun PVA/HSA/gelatin nanofiber scaffolds. The MTT assay, staining and SEM studies suggested the presence, viability and proliferation of the hTCs within the scaffolds.Conclusion: The electrospun PVA/HSA/gelatin nanofiber scaffolds can be used to improve preservation efficiency of male reproductive tissues in the future.

کلیدواژه ها:

Electrospinning ، Nanofiber ، Scaffold ، Tissue engineering ، Albumin