Novel Concept of Electroconductive Scaffolds for Cardiac Tissue Engineering

Despite advancements in cardiovascular disease treatments, such as pharmacological interventions and surgical techniques, tissue engineering offers significant potential to improve the rehabilitation and treatment of myocardial damage. Modern strategies, including both cell-based and acellular therapies integrated with tissue engineering, promise the development of three-dimensional, biomimetic, conductive scaffolds for heart tissue repair. However, the combination of electrical stimulation with these materials and their progression to clinical trials remains limited. Transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides (MXenes), first introduced in 2011, have emerged as a rapidly expanding class of 2D materials. Due to their excellent electroconductive properties, MXenes are considered promising candidates for regenerative applications, including cancer treatment, tissue engineering, and targeted drug delivery. MXenes exhibit high biocompatibility and in vivo safety, meeting essential tissue engineering criteria. Our previous studies have shown that PCL-MXene electrospun fibers offer favorable conductivity and host responses, though challenges remain with PCL fiber pretreatments using acids or alkalis. To address these limitations, we applied oxygen plasma treatment to electrospun PCL membranes, followed by multilayer MXene integration, conducting comprehensive structural, functional, and biological assessments for cardiac tissue engineering applications.<br/>In this study, we present a new technique for depositing Ti₃C₂T_x MXenes onto hydrophobic PCL electrospun membranes using oxygen plasma treatment. This method has significantly enhanced the fibers' size and pore structure while drastically lowering the membrane’s contact angle, allowing for deep MXene impregnation. Importantly, this new deposition process does not alter the chemical characteristics of the PCL membrane and is not anticipated to introduce toxicity during degradation. The PCL-MXene composite membranes produced exhibit electroconductive properties essential for cardiac tissue regeneration, with no substantial differences observed between different MXene layers. Moreover, plasma-treated PCL-MXene membranes introduce hydrophilic groups (O- and OH-), reducing the contact angle and promoting cell attachment. All membrane types demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, evidenced by cell symplast formation on day 7 after seeding. Integrating MXenes into biodegradable PCL scaffolds presents a promising route to impart electroconductivity and enhance cellular response in tissue-engineered cardiac patches. These innovative patches could provide mechanical support to damaged cardiac tissue while facilitating electrical signal transmission, replicating the native tissue's electroconductive properties. Given the lack of variability in conductivity and cell proliferation among membranes, a single MXene deposition process is sufficient for creating cardiac tissue scaffolds. The remarkable electrical conductivity of PCL-MXene membranes, coupled with the positive biological outcomes presented in this study, has the potential to drive significant advancements in the field of cardiac tissue engineering. After further investigation into scaffold-cell interactions and electrical stimulation, this technique may be suitable for clinical use in not only cardiac regeneration but also neural and muscular tissue engineering applications.