A simple method for controlling the bacterial cellulose nanofiber density in 3D scaffolds and its effect on the cell behavior

In this paper, we provide a simple method to control cellulose nanofiber density inside three-dimensional (3D) gelatin/bacterial cellulose (Gel/BC) scaffold. Different cellulose nanofiber densities inside 3D scaffold were achieved by changing the bacterial density during cellulose biosynthesis. By increasing bacterial densities, Gel/BC scaffolds exhibited higher BC nanofiber density (average distance between cellulose nanofiber and fiber area ratio). And higher BC nanofiber density improved mechanical properties of scaffold, while the average pore size of scaffold was constant. Nanofiber density has been shown to direct cell behavior on 2D substrates. It is important to study that whether the BC nanofiber density can modulate the cell behavior in 3D scaffold. It is the first time to evaluate the effect of BC nanofiber density on cell behavior in 3D scaffold. Results revealed that higher BC nanofiber density in scaffold could facilitate adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) proliferation. Interestingly, ADSCs seeded in scaffolds with higher BC nanofiber density showed more spherical and smaller size which meant the potential preservation of ADSCs phenotype. Our findings highlight the importance of BC nanofiber density on cell behavior and provide new guidelines for the construction of tissue engineered scaffold for tissue regeneration.