Investigating the morphological, mechanical and degradation properties of scaffolds comprising collagen, gelatin and elastin for use in soft tissue engineering

Collagen-based scaffolds can be used to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) of soft tissues and provide support during tissue regeneration. To better match the native ECM composition and mechanical properties as well as tailor the degradation resistance and available cell binding motifs, other proteins or different collagen types may be added. The present study has explored the use of components such as gelatin or elastin and investigated their effect on the bulk physical properties of the resulting scaffolds compared to those made from pure collagen type I. The effect of altering the composition and crosslinking was evaluated in terms of the scaffold structure, mechanical properties, swelling, degradation and cell attachment. Results demonstrate that scaffolds based on gelatin had reduced tensile stiffness and degradation time compared with collagen. The addition of elastin reduced the overall strength and stiffness of the scaffolds, with electron microscopy results suggesting that insoluble elastin interacts best with collagen and soluble elastin interacts best with gelatin. Carbodiimide crosslinking was essential for structural stability, strength and degradation resistance for scaffolds of all compositions. In addition, preliminary cell adhesion studies showed these highly porous structures (pore size 130–160 μm) to be able to support HT1080 cell infiltration and growth. Therefore, this study suggests that the use of gelatin in place of collagen, with additions of elastin, can tailor the physical properties of scaffolds and could be a design strategy for reducing the overall material costs.