Effect of glucose content on thermally cross-linked fibrous gelatin scaffolds for tissue engineering

•Nanofibrous gelatin cross-linked thermally by glucose can be used for cell culture.•Fabric-like gelatin meshes can be obtained from blends containing up to 15% glucose.•Glucose increases the extent of gelatin cross-linking up to 20% glucose content.

Thermally cross-linked glucose-containing electrospun gelatin meshes were studied as possible cell substrate materials. FTIR analysis was used to study the effect of glucose on cross-linking reactions. It was found that the presence of glucose increases the extent of cross-linking of fibrous gelatin scaffolds, which in return determines scaffold properties and their usability in tissue engineering applications. Easy to handle fabric-like scaffolds were obtained from blends containing up to 15% glucose. Maximum extent of cross-linking was reached at nearly 20% glucose content. Cross-linking effectively resulted in decreased solubility and increased resistance to enzymatic degradation. Preliminary short-term cell culture experiments indicate that such thermally cross-linked gelatin-glucose scaffolds are suitable for tissue engineering applications.