Razvoj premreženih nanovlaken iz alginata in polietilenoksida za uporabo v tkivnem inženirstvuBalažic, Helena (Avtor) Zupančič, Špela (Mentor) Kogermann, Karin (Komentor) Tissue engineering is a multidisciplinary field that aims to design and manufacture artificial tissues or whole organs to restore or replace the damaged ones. The development of suitable material for tissue engineering is very challenging, since it should resemble the extracellular matrix, have the desired mechanical properties, be biocompatible, biodegradable and cause no adverse immune response from the host. Thus, the aim of this master thesis was the development, stabilization and characterisation of nanofibers from biocompatible hydrophilic polymers. Electrospun (nano)fiber mats (ENM) were prepared by electrospinning of alginate/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) solution. To stabilise ENM, we tested different crosslinking methods, such as UV irradiation and γ-irradiation using 4-hydroxybenzophenone as crosslinker and ionic crosslinking with Ca2+ ions. We investigated the effects of crosslinking on the ENM using Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry and differential scanning calorimetry. The stability of the ENM was tested in 0.01 M phosphate buffered saline at 37 °C to imitate physiologically relevant conditions. We also evaluated the ENM stability and the biocompatibility of ENM with eukaryotic cells using hamster kidney fibroblasts (BHK-21 cell line). We successfully developed ENM with alginate/PEO ratio 50:50. The best stability of ENM was achieved with a combination of UV irradiation and ionic crosslinking with a 10% (w/V) CaCl2 solution, while γ-irradiation combined with ionic crosslinking or the use of a single method failed to stabilise the mats. Moreover, too high irradiation dose resulted in degradation of the mats. After 24 h of incubation, swelling degree was determined either for a single layer of ENM or for two or three superimposed layers ENM. The highest swelling degree of 2897% was calculated for one layer, but the best long-term stability was achieved by stacking three layers of ENM, which remained intact for 11 days. The MTS assay showed no statistical difference in cell viability between our mats and gelatine- based nanofiber mats, which are known to be biocompatible. The good biocompatibility and stability of the crosslinked alginate/PEO-based ENM demonstrate their high potential for further research and use as scaffolds for tissue engineering.[H. Balažic]20212022-12-06 15:27:59Magistrsko delo/naloga142966UDK: 66.017-022.513.2:620.3(043.3)COBISS_ID: 90561283sl