Zein, a natural protein from corn, has important applications in food and pharmaceutical industries due the fact that it is biodegradable and biocompatible. However, due its relatively low mechanical properties and water solubility, many inorganic compounds (e.g., bioactive glasses [BGs]) have been used in combination with zein to obtain composite materials with improved mechanical properties. Such inorganic additions provide further biological functionality to zein. In this work, fiber mats of zein with incorporation of BG and copper doped BG particles are successfully obtained by electrospinning. At first the electrospinnability of the blends is assessed, then the morphological and chemical characterization of the mats is done. Degradation study in cell culture medium (Dubelcco’s modified Eagle’s medium) reveals a sufficient strength of the fibers, which in turn is necessary for in vitro cellular studies. Cell culture studies using MG‐63 and C2C12 cells show promising results, demonstrating increased cell proliferation and growth for fiber mats containing both types of BGs. Also, evaluation with Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria confirms the antibacterial activity of the scaffolds containing copper. The presence of Cu thus imparts antibacterial properties without influencing cell behavior. The developed electrospun fibers represent a novel scaffold system for tissue engineering applications.

中文翻译：

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玉米蛋白基静电纺纤维，含有具有抗菌功能的生物活性玻璃。

玉米蛋白是玉米的天然蛋白质，由于其可生物降解和生物相容性，因此在食品和制药行业具有重要的应用。然而，由于其相对较低的机械性能和水溶性，许多无机化合物（例如，生物活性玻璃[BGs]）已与玉米蛋白结合使用，以获得具有改善的机械性能的复合材料。此类无机添加剂为玉米蛋白提供了进一步的生物学功能。在这项工作中，通过电纺成功地获得了含有BG和掺铜的BG颗粒的玉米醇溶蛋白纤维垫。首先，评估共混物的电纺丝性，然后进行毡的形态和化学表征。在细胞培养基（Dubelcco改良的Eagle培养基）中进行的降解研究表明，纤维具有足够的强度，而这又是体外细胞研究所必需的。使用MG-63和C2C12细胞进行的细胞培养研究显示出令人鼓舞的结果，证明了含有两种BG的纤维毡的细胞增殖和生长均增加。另外，用金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠杆菌细菌证实了含铜支架的抗菌活性。因此，Cu的存在赋予了抗菌性能而不影响细胞行为。发达的电纺纤维代表了一种用于组织工程应用的新型支架系统。