Gelatin crosslinked with dehydroascorbic acid as a novel scaffold for tissue regeneration with simultaneous antitumor activity.

A porous scaffold was developed to support normal tissue regeneration in the presence of residual tumor disease. It was prepared by gelatin crosslinked with dehydroascorbic acid (DHA). A physicochemical characterization of the scaffold was carried out. SEM and mercury porosimetry revealed a high porosity and interconnection of pores in the scaffold. Enzymatic degradation provided 56% weight loss in ten days. The scaffold was also evaluated in vitro for its ability to support the growth of normal cells while hindering tumor cell development. For this purpose, primary human fibroblasts and osteosarcoma tumor cells (MG-63) were seeded on the scaffold. Fibroblasts attached the scaffold and proliferated, while the tumor cells, after an initial attachment and growth, failed to proliferate and progressively underwent cell death. This was attributed to the progressive release of DHA during the scaffold degradation and its cytotoxic activity towards tumor cells.