Person:
ÜNAL YILDIRIM, SEMRA

Loading...
Profile Picture

Email Address

Birth Date

Research Projects

Organizational Units

Job Title

Last Name

ÜNAL YILDIRIM

First Name

SEMRA

Name

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Publication
    Glioblastoma cell adhesion properties through bacterial cellulose nanocrystals in polycaprolactone/gelatin electrospun nanofibers
    (ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 2020) YILMAZ, BETÜL; Unal, Semra; Arslan, Sema; Yilmaz, Betul Karademir; Kazan, Dilek; Oktar, Faik Nuzhet; Gunduz, Oguzhan
    Glioblastoma (GBM), the most common and extremely lethal type of brain tumor, is resistant to treatment and shows high recurrence rates. In the last decades, it is indicated that standard two-dimensional (2D) cell culture is inadequate to improve new therapeutic strategies and drug development. Hence, well-mimicked three-dimensional (3D) tumor platforms are needed to bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo cancer models. In this study, bacterial cellulose nano-crystal (BCNC) containing polycaprolactone (PCL) /gelatin (Gel) nanofibrous composite scaffolds were successfully fabricated by electrospinning for mimicking the extracellular matrix of GBM tumor. The fiber diameters in the nanofibrous matrix were increased with an increased concentration of BCNC. Moreover, fiber morphology changed from the smooth formation to the beaded formation by increasing the concentration of the BCNC suspension. In-vitro biocompatibilities of nanofibrous scaffolds were tested with U251 MG glioblastoma cells and improved cell adhesion and proliferation was compared with PCL/Gel. PCL/Gel/BCNC were found suitable for enhancing axon growth and elongation supporting communication between tumor cells and the microenvironment, triggering the process of tumor recurrence. Based on these results, PCL/Gel/BCNC composite scaffolds are a good candidate for biomimetic GBM tumor platform.
  • PublicationOpen Access
    Polycaprolactone/Gelatin/Hyaluronic Acid Electrospun Scaffolds to Mimic Glioblastoma Extracellular Matrix
    (MDPI, 2020-06-11) YILMAZ, BETÜL; Unal, Semra; Arslan, Sema; Yilmaz, Betul Karademir; Oktar, Faik Nuzhet; Ficai, Denisa; Ficai, Anton; Gunduz, Oguzhan
    Glioblastoma (GBM), one of the most malignant types of human brain tumor, is resistant to conventional treatments and is associated with poor survival. Since the 3D extracellular matrix (ECM) of GBM microenvironment plays a significant role on the tumor behavior, the engineering of the ECM will help us to get more information on the tumor behavior and to define novel therapeutic strategies. In this study, polycaprolactone (PCL)/gelatin(Gel)/hyaluronic acid(HA) composite scaffolds with aligned and randomly oriented nanofibers were successfully fabricated by electrospinning for mimicking the extracellular matrix of GBM tumor. We investigated the effect of nanotopography and components of fibers on the mechanical, morphological, and hydrophilic properties of electrospun nanofiber as well as their biocompatibility properties. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) have been used to investigate possible interactions between components. The mean fiber diameter in the nanofiber matrix was increased with the presence of HA at low collector rotation speed. Moreover, the rotational velocity of the collector affected the fiber diameters as well as their homogenous distribution. Water contact angle measurements confirmed that hyaluronic acid-incorporated aligned nanofibers were more hydrophilic than that of random nanofibers. In addition, PCL/Gel/HA nanofibrous scaffold (7.9 MPa) exhibited a significant decrease in tensile strength compared to PCL/Gel nanofibrous mat (19.2 MPa). In-vitro biocompatibilities of nanofiber scaffolds were tested with glioblastoma cells (U251), and the PCL/Gel/HA scaffolds with random nanofiber showed improved cell adhesion and proliferation. On the other hand, PCL/Gel/HA scaffolds with aligned nanofiber were found suitable for enhancing axon growth and elongation supporting intracellular communication. Based on these results, PCL/Gel/HA composite scaffolds are excellent candidates as a biomimetic matrix for GBM and the study of the tumor.