Silk fibroins modify the atmospheric low temperature plasma-treated poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) film for the application of cardiovascular tissue engineering

Tissue engineered scaffold is one of the hopeful therapies for the patients with organ or tissue damages. The key element for a tissue engineered scaffold material is high biocompatibility. Herein the poly (3hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) film was irradiated by the low temperature atmospheric plasma and then coated by the silk fibroins (SF). After plasma treatment, the surface of PHBHHx film became rougher and more hydrophilic than that of original film. The experiment of PHBHHx flushed by phosphate buffer solution (PBS) proves that the coated SF shows stronger immobilization on the plasma-treated film than that on the untreated film. The cell viability assay demonstrates that SF-coated PHBHHx films treated by the plasma significantly supports the proliferation and growth of the human smooth muscle cells (HSMCs). Furthermore, the scanning electron microscopy and hemotoylin and eosin (HE) staining show that HSMCs formed a cell sub-monolayer and secreted a large amount of extracellular matrix (ECM) on the films after one week’s culture. The silk fibroins modify the plasmatreated PHBHHx film, providing a material potentially applicable in the cardiovascular tissue engineering.