Extracted of polysaccharides from the roots of Eremurus persicus bioss plant / polyvinyl alcohol: Design and characterization of cellular scaffold for cell culture applications.

Biomaterial-based cell scaffolds are one of the interesting cases in tissue engineering. It provides a substrate for repairing and growing different cells which facilitates the healing process of injuries. Therefore, its ingredients must be completely biocompatible and nontoxic to cells. Electrospinning is the most common method of producing different scaffolds, in which a combination of synthetic and natural polymers can be used. As known before, the use of synthetic polymers increases scaffolds strength and the use of biopolymers increases cell adhesion and reduces body's immune responses. In this study, the morphology of scaffolds made by Eremurus persicus Bioss (EPB) root extract and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was investigated. EPB root extract was extracted using 96 % ethanol from fresh roots. Different volume ratios of PVA/EPB with purity of 12 % PVA (w/v) and 3 % EPB root extract (w/v) were prepared to find the optimal compound for fabricating straight thin nanofibers. Characterization of samples showed the optimal combined sample is PVA/EPB (50:50). FTIR results indicated no chemical interaction between polymers. XRD results confirmed both PVA nanofibers and PVA/EPB ones had no crystal structure. FESEM results pointed out 50:50 PVA/EPB nanofibers had an average diameter of 184.5 nm, with electrical conductivity of 335 ± 5 μs, viscosity of 1057.5 mm.min, surface tension of 47.97 ± 0.03 mN.m, contact angle of 50.3 ± 4.7 and tensile strength of 138.73 cN. PVA/EPB combinations also showed anti-inflammatory properties and mild antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E.coli) bacterium. MTT results of cell viability also inferred that the combination of two polymers in a ratio of 50:50 does not cause toxicity to cell and can be used as a scaffold for cell culture and other medical applications.