Speaker
Boccaccini, Aldo
(University of Erlangen-Nuremberg)
Description
Introduction: As a tissue engineering approach, synthetic and natural polymer composites are explored to create tissue scaffolds that provide requirements such as biocompatibility, biomimetic interface, mechanical properties close to native tissue, and promotion of cell attachment and differentiation. Blends of natural and synthetic electrospun fibers can provide excellent combinations to obtain both mechanical and bioactive properties simultaneously. </div>
<div>Methodology: In this study, we synthesized nanofibrous tissue scaffolds made up of polycaprolactone (PCL), and blends with either chitosan (PCL/C) or gelatin (PCL/G) in benign solvent systems for evaluation of their potential as a scaffold for tendon tissue regeneration. The electrospinning process parameters were tailored towards fiber diameter and morphology which should be optimized for cell attachment, differentiation, and proliferation. The nanofibrous scaffolds were characterized in terms of fiber morphology and size, chemical composition, biodegradability, hydrophilicity, and biomechanical properties by tensile test measurement. </div> <div>Results: We demonstrated that the addition of natural polymers yields fibers in nanosize with significantly lowered fiber diameters, and mechanical properties consistent with those displayed by native tendon tissue. The combination of natural and synthetic polymers has also reduced the degradation time together with the water contact angle of the nanofibrous membrane surfaces. </div> <div>Conclusion: The combination of natural and synthetic polymers in the production of electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds has the potential to promote tendon tissue regeneration. The present results must be however supported by further in vitro and vivo studies and testing. 73296316866