Soy protein nanoparticles modified bacterial cellulose electrospun nanofiber membrane scaffold by ultrasound-induced self-assembly technique: characterization and cytocompatibility

Protein-modified scaffolds have ability to provide biological functionality due to the similarity in structure of natural extracellular matrix (NECM) in tissues. In this paper, soy protein was selected to modify bacterial cellulose (BC) electrospun nanofiber scaffold prepared by fabricating BC nanofiber via electrospinning followed by ultrasound-induced self-assembly method. The modified nanofiber scaffold has multi-size distribution composed of BC electrospun nanofiber with diameter ranged from 80 to 360 nm and soy protein nanoparticles layer on the surface, which mimics the structure of NECM. The surface morphology and specific surface areas of soy protein modified BC electrospun nanofiber scaffold were investigated by scanning electronic microscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller test. The structure, crystallinity, thermal stability, mechanical properties and hydrophilicity were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, tensile test and water contact angle measurement. Soy protein surface modification does not obviously affect the crystalline structure of BC electrospun nanofiber. However, an increase in thermal stability and toughness can be observed. After soy protein surface modification, the nanofiber scaffold became more stretchable with the elongation at break greatly increased about 110% from 6.55 ± 0.71 to 13.81 ± 1.12%. The biodegradability and cytocompatibility of soy protein modified BC electrospun nanofiber scaffold were preliminarily evaluated by in vitro tests. Soy protein modified BC electrospun nanofiber scaffold exhibited higher biodegradation rate in enzyme solution and better biocompatibility. The as-prepared soy protein modified BC electrospun nanofiber scaffold is more bioactive and promising as bone tissue engineering scaffold. Graphical abstract