Impact of growth factors on wound healing in polysaccharide blend thin films

The potential of alginate/carboxymethyl cellulose based thin films was demonstrated as a testing platform for evaluation of the influence of in situ incorporated growth factors into formulations intended for 3D bio-printed wound healing materials. Actual formation of blend films with and without included growth factors was analysed using ATR-IR spectroscopy. Surface morphology and topography were evaluated by atomic force and scanning electron microscopies, whereas the hydrophilicity of all tested materials was determined using the water contact angle measurement method. The inclusion of growth factors into blend films did not affect the films' formation, nor their morphology, whereas their highly hydrophilic character was even slightly enhanced by the added growth factors. Further, several aspects (viability, proliferation and cell morphology), in regard to the blend films included growth factors' influence on both of the most abundant skin cell types (keratynocytes and fibroblasts) were tested. A significantly improved cell viability was detected for films with incorporated growth factors. The prepared thin film-based testing platform could present an important tool to aid the development of novel printable (bio)inks.