Nanostructured polymer scaffold decorated with cerium oxide nanoparticles toward engineering an antioxidant and anti-hypertrophic cardiac patch.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated in reperfused ischemic heart tissue after myocardial infarction (MI). A compensatory attempt of the heart to enhance its functional performance after MI is to undergo cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. In the past, reducing the levels of ROS in the cardiomyocytes has been linked to suppression of cardiac hypertrophy. Notably, cerium oxide nanoparticles (nCe) have been used extensively to protect the cells from oxidative damage by efficiently scavenging cellular ROS. Furthermore, fibrous matrices such as nanofibers are emerging as promising substrates for engineering implantable cardiac patches. In this study, we describe the fabrication of nCe-decorated polycaprolactone (PCL) and PCL-gelatin blend (PCLG) nanofibers prepared using electrospinning. Characterization by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and contact angle goniometry confirmed the presence of nCe on PCL or PCLG nanofibers (PCLG-Ce) of ≈300 nm fiber diameter. nCe-based PCLG scaffolds were cytocompatible with a variety of cell types, including primary cells. Primary cardiomyocytes cultured on nCe-decorated PCLG nanofibers showed marked reduction in the ROS levels when subjected to H2O2 induced oxidative stress. Interestingly, we found that nCe-decorated PCLG nanofibers can suppress agonist-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Overall, the results of this study suggest the potential of nCe-decorated PCLG nanofibers as a cardiac patch with antioxidant and anti-hypertrophic properties.