A Biomimetic Emu Oil-Blended Electrospun Nanofibrous Mat for Maintaining Stemness of Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cells.

Background: Emu oil (EO) with anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and wound healing properties can be blended for preparing bioactive nanofibrous scaffold. Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are promising candidates for tissue engineering, and preserving their stemness potential is vital for further therapeutic applications.

Objective: The aim of this study was to fabricate EO-blended nanofiber and investigate its effect on proliferation, survival, and stemness preservation of ADSCs.

Methods: Pure EO composition was characterized using a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer. EO-PCL-polyethylene glycol (PEG) nanofibers were successfully fabricated using an electrospinning technique and characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Cell viability and adhesion were measured using the MTT assay and FE-SEM. Finally, quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to quantify the expression level of cell cycle regulated genes and pluripotency-associated transcription factors.

Results: Findings showed that 20% (w/w) of EO is the optimum oil content in the electrospun solution to achieve good morphology and ultrafine fibers. The relatively high optical densities and FE-SEM images indicated that EO highly supported cell adhesion and proliferation on the matrices. In addition, EO-PCL-PEG electrospun nanofibrous mats significantly upregulated the expression levels of cell cycle regulated genes (Cyclin D1, pRb, and P53) and stemness markers (Nanog, OCT-4, Rex-1, and Sox-2) than PCL-PEG nanofiber and tissue culture polystyrene in 7 and 14 days of cell culture.

Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the EO-blended nanofibrous mat can be used as a bioactive scaffold to support cell adhesion and proliferation while simultaneously maintaining the stemness of ADSCs.