Journal article
Nitrogen Plasma-Modified Silk Fibroin Films Promote Wettability and Airway Epithelial Cell Growth
ACS biomaterials science & engineering
07/07/2026
DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6c00700
PMID: 42412921
Appears in UI Libraries Support Open Access
Abstract
The regulation of cell behavior by surface properties is a central principle for bioengineering tissue scaffolds. The effects of surface wettability on airway epithelial cells are particularly instrumental to functional epithelium formation but are not well understood, thus restricting bioengineered airway graft efficacy. Here, we demonstrate that nitrogen low-temperature plasma (N
LTP) treatment enhances the surface wettability of two types of 3D-printed silk fibroin films (opaque and transparent) and promotes the growth of primary human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) in submerged culture over 28 days, thereby establishing a meaningful correlation between surface wettability and HBEC growth. The improved surface wettability is characterized by a reduction in water contact angle (WCA) from approximately 60° to 30°. In addition, the N
LTP-induced surface modification is largely decoupled from the bulk chemical properties of silk fibroin films, as characterized by Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopies, thus allowing independent control over surface and bulk properties. Furthermore, the N
LTP treatment significantly increases cell density and decreases cell contour area toward the formation of a monolayer, highlighting the important role of surface wettability in mediating the adhesion and growth of HBECs. For example, following N
LTP treatment, the cell contour area of opaque silk fibroin films on day 14 exhibited a significant decrease from 802.7 ± 53.5 to 584.4 ± 62.2 μm
(
< 0.001), accompanied by a concurrent increase in cell density from 1111.9 ± 102.2 to 1479.3 ± 152.8 cells/mm
(
< 0.001). Finally, both the 3D printing and the N
LTP modification take place at room temperature, representing a mild processing strategy for devising silk fibroin scaffolds. This work offers critical insights into the nitrogen plasma modification of silk fibroin and surface-mediated behavior of epithelial cells, representing an emerging avenue for airway graft development.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Nitrogen Plasma-Modified Silk Fibroin Films Promote Wettability and Airway Epithelial Cell Growth
- Creators
- Reza Amouzandeh - University of IowaMina Abdelmessih - California State University, FresnoZhuozhi Wang - University of IowaHongli Sun - University of IowaAlejandro A Pezzulo - University of IowaYu-Wei Chen - University of IowaMorgan J Hawker - California State University, FresnoXuan Mu - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- ACS biomaterials science & engineering
- DOI
- 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6c00700
- PMID
- 42412921
- NLM abbreviation
- ACS Biomater Sci Eng
- ISSN
- 2373-9878
- eISSN
- 2373-9878
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society
- Grant note
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: 006655I223 National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research: R01DE029159, R21DE033019 Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust National Institute of General Medical Sciences: 5SC2GM141648-03
The authors thank the Carver Charitable Trust, the University of Iowa Jumpstarting Tomorrow Program, the Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering Research Excellence Fund, the Small Important Projects (SIP) grant of the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, National Science Foundation (2242763), and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (006655I223) for the support. M.J.H. is supported by the National Institute of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences funding (5SC2GM141648-03). H.S. is supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health (R01DE029159 and R21DE033019). The authors acknowledge the University of Iowa Materials Analysis, Testing, and Fabrication Facility for use of Raman spectroscopy and thank Dr. Unruh for their support with data collection. The Hitachi S4800 SEM at the University of Iowa Central Microscopy Research Facilities, a core resource supported by the University of Iowa Vice President for Research and the Carver College of Medicine, was purchased with funding from the NIH SIG grant 1 S10 RR022498-01. The authors would like to thank Dr. Allamargot and Dr. Shao for their support with SEM imaging.
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 07/07/2026
- Academic Unit
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Dental Research; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9985180971002771
Metrics
3 Record Views