Facile preparation and cytocompatibility of poly(lactic acid)/poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐4‐hydroxybutyrate) hybrid fibrous scaffolds

A fibrous scaffold is required to provide three‐dimensional (3D) cell growth microenvironments and appropriate synergistic cell guidance cues. In this study, porous scaffolds with different mass ratio of poly(lactic acid) to poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐4‐hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB‐co‐4HB)) for tissue engineering were prepared by a modified particle leaching method. The effect of the addition of P(3HB‐co‐4HB) on microstructural morphology, compression property, swelling behavior, and enzymatic degradation of hybrid scaffolds was systematically investigated. The results indicated that this method was simple but efficient to prepare highly interconnected biomimetic 3D hybrid scaffolds (PP50/50 and PP33/67) with fibrous pore walls. The cytocompatibility of hybrid scaffolds was evaluated by in vitro culture of mesenchymal stem cells. The cell‐cultured hybrid scaffolds presented a complete 3D porous structure, thus allowing cell proliferation on the surface and infiltration into the inner part of scaffolds. The obtained hybrid scaffolds with pore size ranging from 200 to 450 µm, over 90% porosity, adjustable biodegradability, and water‐uptake capability will be promising for cartilage tissue engineering applications. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:2902–2910, 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Electrospun polylactide/silk fibroin–gelatin composite tubular scaffolds for small‐diameter tissue engineering blood vessels

Many synthetic scaffolds have been used as vascular substitutes for clinical use. However, many of these scaffolds may not show suitable properties when they are exposed to physiologic vascular environments, and they may fail eventually because of some unexpected conditions. Electrospinning technology offers the potential for controlling the composition, structure, and mechanical properties of scaffolds. In this study, a tubular scaffold (inner diameter = 4.5 mm) composed of a polylactide (PLA) fiber outside layer and a silk fibroin (SF)–gelatin fiber inner layer (PLA/SF–gelatin) was fabricated by electrospinning. The morphological, biomechanical, and biological properties of the composite scaffold were examined. The PLA/SF–gelatin composite tubular scaffold possessed a porous structure; the porosity of the scaffold reached 82 ± 2%. The composite scaffold achieved the appropriate breaking strength (1.28 ± 0.21 MPa) and adequate pliability (elasticity up to 41.11 ± 2.17% strain) and possessed a fine suture retention strength (1.07 ± 0.07 N). The burst pressure of the composite scaffold was 111.4 ± 2.6 kPa, which was much higher than the native vessels. A mitochondrial metabolic assay and scanning electron microscopy observations indicated that both 3T3 mouse fibroblasts and human umbilical vein endothelial cells grew and proliferated well on the composite scaffold in vitro after they were cultured for some days. The PLA/SF–gelatin composite tubular scaffolds presented appropriate characteristics to be considered as candidate scaffolds for blood vessel tissue engineering. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Preparation and characterization of polyhydroxybutyrate‐co‐hydroxyvalerate/silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffolds for skin tissue engineering

Nanofibrous scaffolds were obtained by co‐electrospinning poly (3‐hydroxybuty‐rate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and fibroin regenerated from silk in different proportions using 1,1,1,3,3,3‐hexafluoro‐2‐isopropanol (HFIP) as solvent. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) investigation showed that the fiber diameters of the nanofibrous scaffolds ranged from 190 to 460 nm. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis (FT‐IR) showed that the main structure of silk fibroin (SF) in the nanofibrous scaffold was β‐sheet. Compared to the PHBV nanofibrous scaffold, the surface hydrophilicity and water‐uptake capability of the PHBV/SF nanofibrous scaffold with 50/50 were improved. The results of cell adhesion experiment showed that the fibroblasts adhered more to the PHBV/SF nanofibrous scaffold with 50/50 than the pure PHBV nanofibrous scaffold. The proliferation of fibroblast on the PHBV/SF nanofibrous scaffold with 50/50 was higher than that on the pure PHBV nanofibrous scaffold. Our results indicated that the PHBV/SF nanofibrous scaffold with 50/50 may be a better candidate for biomedical applications such as skin tissue engineering and wound dressing. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:907–916, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

I‐Optimal design of poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic) acid/hydroxyapatite three‐dimensional scaffolds produced by thermally induced phase separation

In bone tissue engineering, three‐dimensional (3D) scaffolds are often designed to have adequate modulus while taking into consideration the requirement for a highly porous network for cell seeding and tissue growth. This article presents the design optimization of 3D scaffolds made of poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic) acid (PLGA) and nanohydroxyapatite (nHA), produced by thermally induced phase separation (TIPS). Slow cooling at a rate of 1°C/min enabled a uniform temperature and produced porous scaffolds with a relatively uniform pore size. An I‐optimal design of experiments (DoE) with 18 experimental runs was used to relate four responses (scaffold thickness, density, porosity, and modulus) to three experimental factors, namely the TIPS temperature (?20, ?10, and 0°C), PLGA concentration (7%, 10%, and 13% w/v), and nHA content (0%, 15%, and 30% w/w). The response surface analysis using JMP® software predicted a temperature of ?18.3°C, a PLGA concentration of 10.3% w/v, and a nHA content of 30% w/w to achieve a thickness of 3 mm, a porosity of 83%, and a modulus of ~4 MPa. The set of validation scaffolds prepared using the predicted factor levels had a thickness of 3.05 ± 0.37 mm, a porosity of 86.8 ± 0.9%, and a modulus of 3.57 ± 2.28 MPa. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:1146–1157 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Evaluation of the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells on hybrid biomimetic scaffolds

Hybrid materials are widely and promisingly used as scaffolds in cartilage tissue remodeling. In this study, hybrid scaffolds consist of polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with/without gelatin (GEL) to mimic natural cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) were investigated. Scaffolds were prepared by freeze drying and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and compressive mechanical testing. Biological assays of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) cultures, 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide, and dimethyl methylene blue were performed, and real‐time polymerization chain reaction analysis of the cartilage‐specific ECM gene marker expression was done. The results show an open interconnected porous structure with a compression modulus of 1.27 ± 0.04 MPa. The surface of the scaffolds showed an excellent efficiency in the adhesion and proliferation of MSCs. A significant increase in the proteoglycan content from 3.70 ± 0.96 to 5.4 ± 1.13 μg/mL was observed after 14 days in the PCL–PVA–GEL scaffolds. The expression amount of the sex‐determining region Y–Box 9 (SOX9) and collagen II (COL2) mRNA levels of the MSCs showed significant increases in SOX9 and COL2, respectively in comparison with PCL–PVA scaffold. The study revealed that the aforementioned scaffold as a blend of natural and synthetic polymers may be a promising substrate in tissue engineering for cartilage repair with MSC transplantation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40635.     

Application of low loading of collagen in electrospun poly[(l‐lactide)‐co‐(ε‐caprolactone)] nanofibrous scaffolds to promote cellular biocompatibility

Electrospinning of various polymers has been used to produce nanofibrous scaffolds that mimic the extracellular matrix and support cell attachment for the potential repair and engineering of nerve tissue. In the study reported here, an electrospun copolymer of l ‐lactide and ε‐caprolactone (67:33 mol%) resulted in a nanofibrous scaffold with average fibre diameter and pore size of 476 ± 88 and 253 ± 17 nm, respectively. Blending with low loadings of collagen (<2.5% w/w) significantly reduced the average diameter and pore size. The uniformity of fibre diameter distributions was supported with increasing collagen loadings. The nanofibrous scaffolds significantly promoted the attachment and proliferation of olfactory ensheathing cells compared to cells exhibiting asynchronous growth. Furthermore, analysis of cell health through mitochondrial activity, membrane leakage, cell cycle progression and apoptotic indices showed that the nanofibrous membranes promoted cell vigour, reducing necrosis. The study suggests that the use of more cost‐effective, low loadings of collagen supports morphological changes in electrospun poly[(l ‐lactide)‐co‐(ε‐caprolactone)] nanofibrous scaffolds, which also support attachment and proliferation of olfactory ensheathing cells while promoting cell health. The results here support further investigation of the electrospinning of these polymer blends as conduits for nerve repair. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Bioactive and Biocompatible Macroporous Scaffolds with Tunable Performances Prepared Based on 3D Printing of the Pre‐Crosslinked Sodium Alginate/Hydroxyapatite Hydrogel Ink

Bioactive and biocompatible porous scaffold materials with adjustable pore structures and drug delivery capability are one of the key elements in bone tissue engineering. In this work, bioactive and biocompatible sodium alginate (SA)/hydroxyapatite (HAP) macroporous scaffolds are facilely and effectively fabricated based on 3D printing of the pre‐crosslinked SA/HAP hydrogels followed by further crosslinking to improve the mechanical properties of scaffolds. The pore structures and porosity (>80%) of the porous scaffolds can be readily tailored by varying the formation conditions. Furthermore, the in vitro biomineralization tests show that the bioactivity of the porous scaffolds is effectively enhanced by the addition of HAP nanoparticles into the scaffold matrix. Furthermore, the anti‐inflammatory drug curcumin is loaded into the porous scaffolds and the in vitro release study shows the sustainable drug release function of the porous scaffolds. Moreover, mouse bone mesenchymal stem cells (mBMSCs) are cultured on the porous scaffolds, and the results of the in vitro biocompatibility experiment show that the mBMSCs can be adhered well on the porous scaffolds. All of the results suggest that the bioactive and biocompatible SA/HAP porous scaffolds have great application potential in bone tissue engineering.     

Development of fibrin conjugated chitosan/nano β‐TCP composite scaffolds with improved cell supportive property for bone tissue regeneration

In the present study, an attempt has been made to improve cell supportive property of chitosan/nano beta tri‐calcium phosphate (β‐TCP) composite scaffolds by modification of scaffold surface with fibrin using ethyl‐3‐(3‐dimethylaminopropyl) carbodimide (EDC) as crosslinking agent. The developed fibrin conjugated chitosan/nano β‐TCP composite scaffolds possess desired pore size and porosity in the range of 45–151 µm and 81.4 ± 4.1%, respectively. No significant change in compressive strength of scaffolds was observed before and after fibrin conjugation. The calculated compressive strength of fibrin conjugated and non‐conjugated chitosan/nano β‐TCP scaffolds are 2.71 ± 0.14 MPa and 2.67 ± 0.11 MPa, respectively. Results of cell culture study have further shown an enhanced cell attachment, cell number, proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization on fibrin conjugated chitosan/nano β‐TCP scaffold. The uniform cell distribution over the scaffold surface and cell infiltration into the scaffold pores were assessed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Furthermore, higher expression of osteogenic specific genes such as bone sialo protein, osteonectin, alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin (OC) on fibrin conjugated scaffolds was observed when compared to scaffolds without fibrin. Altogether, results indicate the potentiality of developed fibrin conjugated composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41534.     

Soluble‐eggshell‐membrane‐protein‐modified porous silk fibroin scaffolds with enhanced cell adhesion and proliferation properties

In this study, a porous silk fibroin (SF) scaffold was modified with soluble eggshell membrane protein (SEP) with the aim of improving the cell affinity properties of the scaffold for tissue regeneration. The pore size and porosity of the prepared scaffold were in the ranges 200–300 μm and 85–90%, respectively. The existence of SEP on the scaffold surface and the structural and thermal stability were confirmed by energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The cell culture study indicated a significant improvement in the cell adhesion and proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on the SF scaffold modified with SEP. The cytocompatibility of the SEP‐conjugated SF scaffold was confirmed by a 3‐(4,5‐dimethyltriazol‐2‐y1)‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium assay. Thus, this study demonstrated that the biomimic properties of the scaffold could be enhanced by surface modification with SEP. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40138.     

Biodegradable poly(sebacic acid‐co‐ricinoleic‐ester anhydride) tamoxifen citrate implants: Preparation and in vitro characterization

The aim of this study was to prepare tamoxifen citrate loaded cylindrical polymeric implants for application at tumor sites. The implant was based on poly (sebacic acid‐co‐ricinoleic‐ester anhydride) 70 : 30 w/w [poly(SA‐RA) 70 : 30 w/w], a low‐melting, biodegradable, and biocompatible polymer. Implants were prepared by a standardized melt manufacturing method. Differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy were used for implant characterization. In vitro drug release studies were performed in phosphate‐buffered saline (pH 7.4) at 37 ± 2°C. The drug content was estimated by high‐performance liquid chromatography. The differential scanning calorimetry studies showed that the tamoxifen citrate in the implants was in the amorphous state. The cumulative percentage of drug release from 10 and 20 wt % drug‐loaded poly(SA‐RA) 70 : 30 w/w implants after 30 days was found to be 42.36 and 62.60%, respectively. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Surface‐engineered hydroxyapatite nanocrystal/ poly(ε‐caprolactone) hybrid scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

To achieve novel polymer/bioceramic composite scaffolds for use in materials for bone tissue engineering, we prepared organic/inorganic hybrid scaffolds composed of biodegradable poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) and hydroxyapatite (HA), which has excellent biocompatibility with hard tissues and high osteoconductivity and bioactivity. To improve the interactions between the scaffolds and osteoblasts, we focused on surface‐engineered, porous HA/PCL scaffolds that had HA molecules on their surfaces and within them because of the biochemical affinity between the biotin and avidin molecules. The surface modification of HA nanocrystals was performed with two different methods. Using Fourier transform infrared, X‐ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis measurements, we found that surface‐modified HA nanocrystals prepared with an ethylene glycol mediated coupling method showed a higher degree of coupling (%) than those prepared via a direct coupling method. HA/PCL hybrid scaffolds with a well‐controlled porous architecture were fabricated with a gas‐blowing/particle‐leaching process. All HA/PCL scaffold samples exhibited approximately 80–85% porosity. As the HA concentration within the HA/PCL scaffolds increased, the porosity of the HA/PCL scaffolds gradually decreased. The homogeneous immobilization of biotin‐conjugated HA nanocrystals on a three‐dimensional, porous scaffold was observed with confocal microscopy. According to an in vitro cytotoxicity study, all scaffold samples exhibited greater than 80% cell viability, regardless of the HA/PCL composition or preparation method. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Air‐dried 3D‐collagen–chitosan biocomposite scaffold for tissue engineering application

Collagen–chitosan scaffolds of different compositions were developed using emulsion air‐drying method. The scaffolds prepared adding 10–30 wt% of chitosan to collagen improved the mechanical properties of the composite scaffold, and 7:3 ratio (collagen :chitosan) was found to be a better composite having a tensile strength of 13.57 MPa with 9% elongation at break. The water‐uptake characteristics were performed at different pH and found to be ameliorated for the composite scaffolds compared to pure collagen and chitosan scaffold, respectively. The pores ranging from 100 to 300 μm were well interconnected, and their distribution was fairly homogeneous in the scaffold as observed through scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, the scaffold decreased the bacterial counts and supported fibroblasts attachment and proliferation, thus demonstrating this composite to be a good substrate for biomedical application.POLYM. COMPOS., 33:2029–2035, 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Preparation and characterization of poly(L‐lactide)/ poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) fibrous scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering

Polyblend fibrous scaffolds in mass ratios of 100/0, 90/10, 80/20, and 70/30 from poly(L ‐lactide) (PLLA) and poly(?‐caprolactone) (PCL) for cartilage tissue engineering were prepared in three steps: gelation, solvent exchanging, and freeze‐drying. Effects of the blend ratio, the exchange medium, and the operating temperature on the morphology of scaffolds were investigated by SEM. PLLA/PCL scaffolds presented an ultrafine fibrous network with the addition of a “small block” structure. Smooth and regular fibrous networks were formed when ethanol was used as the exchange medium. Properties of the scaffolds, such as thermal and mechanical properties, were also studied. The results suggested that the compressive modulus declined as PCL amount increased. The incorporation of PCL effectively contributed to reduce the rigidity of PLLA. Bovine chondrocytes were seeded onto PLLA/PCL scaffold. Cells attached onto the fibrous network and their morphology was satisfactory. This polyblend fibrous scaffold will be a potential scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1676–1684, 2004     

Compressive properties and creep resistance of a novel,porous, semidegradable poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) scaffold for articular cartilage repair

Tissue engineering for articular cartilage repair has shown success in ensuring the integration of neocartilage with surrounding natural tissue, but the rapid restoration of biomechanical functions remains a significant challenge. The poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel is regarded as a potential articular cartilage replacement for its fair mechanical strength, whereas its lack of bioactivity limits its utility. To obtain a scaffold possessing expected bioactivity and initial mechanical properties, we herein report a novel salt‐leaching technique to fabricate a porous PVA hydrogel simultaneously embedded with poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres. Through the investigation of environmental scanning electron microscopy, we found that the porous PVA/PLGA scaffold was successfully manufactured. The compression and creep properties were also comprehensively studied before and after cell culturing. The relationship between the compressive modulus and strain ratio of the porous PVA/PLGA scaffold showed significant nonlinear behavior. The elastic compressive modulus was influenced a little by the porogen content, whereas it went higher with a higher PLGA microsphere content. The cell‐cultured scaffolds presented higher compressive moduli than the initial ones. The creep resistance of the cell‐cultured scaffolds was much better than that of the initial ones. In all, this new scaffold is a promising material for articular cartilage repair. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40311.     

A novel silk fibroin/sodium alginate hybrid scaffolds

Porous silk fibroin/sodium alginate hybrid scaffolds were prepared through lyophilization method. Hybrid scaffolds were characterized for morphological and functional properties related to different mixture ratios between silk fibroin and sodium alginate. The silk fibroin/sodium alginate hybrid scaffolds showed a thin‐layer structure and much more irregular rod‐like structure appeared at the layer surface after adding 50% sodium alginate. The results of wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared analysis confirmed that the crystal structure of silk fibroin was not influenced by adding the different contents of sodium alginate, exhibiting the random coil structure in the hybrid scaffolds. The thermal behavior of the hybrid scaffolds exhibited major change with containing 30% sodium alginate or more. The porosity of the scaffolds varied between 92 and 94% with a favorable compressive modulus and stress. The mechanical properties results depicted the hybrid scaffolds containing 10% sodium alginate, with a porosity of 94.0 ± 0.10%, attained the highest compressive modulus and stress for 41 ± 6 and 44 ± 3 kPa, respectively. In addition, mineralization results showed hydroxyapatite crystal growing on the surface of the scaffold. This hybrid biomaterial should offer new and important options to the needs related to biomineralization and tissue engineering, in general. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:129–136, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Supercritical carbon dioxide assisted fabrication of biomimetic sodium alginate/silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffolds

In this study, biomimetic sodium alginate (SA)/silk fibroin (SF) scaffolds were successfully fabricated by supercritical CO₂ technology. The SA/SF scaffolds exhibited an interconnected porous and extracellular matrix (ECM)-like nanofibrous structures. Moreover, the SA microparticles were embedded in the SF scaffolds. Increasing the content of SA microparticles could improve tensile strength and compressive strength of the SF scaffolds and reduce the porosity of the SF scaffolds. The addition of the SA microparticles could also regulate the degradation rate of the SA/SF scaffolds. Furthermore, the results of in vitro biocompatibility evaluation, indicated that the SA/SF scaffolds exhibited no obvious cytotoxicity and higher cell adhesion ability and were more favorable for L929 fibroblasts proliferation than pure SF scaffolds. Therefore, the SA/SF scaffolds with ECM-like nanofibrous and interconnected porous structure have potential application in skin tissue engineering.     

Bone morphogenetic protein‐2 immobilization on porous PCL‐BCP‐Col composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

The objective of this study was to develop novel porous composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering through surface modification of polycaprolactone–biphasic calcium phosphate‐based composites (PCL–BCP). PCL–BCP composites were first fabricated with salt‐leaching method followed by aminolysis. Layer by layer (LBL) technique was then used to immobilize collagen (Col) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP‐2) on PCL–BCP scaffolds to develop PCL–BCP–Col–BMP‐2 composite scaffold. The morphology of the composite was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The efficiency of grafting of Col and BMP‐2 on composite scaffold was measured by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Both XPS and FTIR confirmed that Col and BMP‐2 were successfully immobilized into PCL–BCP composites. MC3TC3‐E1 preosteoblasts cells were cultivated on composites to determine the effect of Col and BMP‐2 immobilization on cell viability and proliferation. PCL–BCP–Col–BMP‐2 showed more cell attachment, cell viability, and proliferation bone factors compared to PCL–BCP‐Col composites. In addition, in vivo bone formation study using rat models showed that PCL–BCP–Col–BMP‐2 composites had better bone formation than PCL–BCP‐Col scaffold in critical size defect with 4 weeks of duration. These results suggest that PCL–BCP–Col–BMP‐2 composites can enhance bone regeneration in critical size defect in a rat model with 4 weeks of duration. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45186.     

PLGA/SF blend scaffolds modified with plasmid complexes for enhancing proliferation of endothelial cells

Biomimetic scaffolds have been investigated for vascular tissue engineering for many years. However, the design of an ideal biodegradable vascular scaffold is still in progress. The optimization of poly(lactide-co-glycolide)/silk fibroin (PLGA/SF) blend composition was performed to provide the designed scaffolds with adequate mechanical properties and favorable biocompatibility for the intended application. By systematically varying the weight ratio of PLGA and SF, we could control fiber diameter and hydrophilicity as well as mechanical properties of the fibrous scaffolds. These scaffolds with a weight ratio of PLGA/SF at 70/30 exhibited excellent performance, such as tensile strength of 1.5 ± 0.1 MPa, and elongation at break of 77.4 ± 6.4%. Therefore, PLGA/SF scaffold with a weight ratio of 70/30 was chose as the matrix because it matches at best the mechanical demands for application in vascular tissue engineering. In order to promote the endothelialization of electrospun scaffolds, we used pEGFP-ZNF580 plasmid (pZNF580) complexes to modify the electrospun scaffolds by electrospraying technique. pZNF580 complexes were prepared from pZNF580 and microparticles (MPs) of amphiphilic copolymer methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(3(S)-methyl-2,5-morpholinedione-co-glycolide)-graft-polyethyleneimine. Negatively charged PLGA/SF fibers adsorbed the positively charged MPs via physical deposition and electrostatic force. Scanning electron microscope image indicated the forming of composite scaffold and MPs did not change fiber’s shape and 3-D structure. Cell culture experiments demonstrated that the scaffolds modified with MPs/pZNF580 complexes could promote human umbilical vein endothelial cell growth and inhibit human umbilical artery smooth muscle cell proliferation. Our results indicated that the composite scaffolds with MPs/pZNF580 complexes could be used as a potential scaffold for vascular tissue engineering.     

Bone‐like apatite‐coated chitosan scaffolds: Characterization and osteoblastic activity

In this study, porous scaffolds were prepared from chitosan (2% w/v in acetic acid and deacetylation degree: DD > 85%) by freeze‐drying method, and freshly lyophilized scaffolds were stabilized with ethanol solutions. Bone‐like apatite formation on chitosan scaffolds was achieved by immersing the scaffolds into a novel concentrated simulated body fluid (10× SBF‐like solution) for different periods, i.e., 6 and 24 h. Scanning electron microscope views showed that the 6‐h treatment in 10× SBF‐like solution led to the formation of calcium phosphate nucleation sites on chitosan scaffolds, whereas the apatite particles showed characteristic cauliflower‐like morphology at the end of 24‐h treatment. X‐ray diffraction results supported the fact that mineral phase was made of hydroxyapatite. Osteogenic activities of untreated and SBF‐treated chitosan scaffolds were examined by preosteoblastic MC3T3 cell culture studies. The mitochondrial activity test showed that apatite‐coated scaffolds stimulated cell proliferation compared with uncoated scaffolds. Alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcine levels indicated that the differentiation of the cells on all scaffolds increased significantly from 15th day of culture to the 21th day of culture, especially for the cells on 24‐h SBF‐treated scaffolds. The results of this study indicated that 10× SBF‐like solution‐treated chitosan scaffolds may be evaluated for bone tissue engineering. POLYM. COMPOS., 31:1418–1426, 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Preparation of chitosan‐nanohydroxyapatite composite scaffolds by a supercritical CO2 assisted process

In this study, chitosan‐nanohydroxyapatite composite scaffolds were prepared by a supercritical fluid assisted process. For this purpose, different amounts of nanohydroxyapatite particles, that is, 0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 wt% were added to chitosan (deacetylation degree: DD 75–85%) solution (2%, w/v, in acetic acid). The gels were then frozen at −20°C, treated in acetone and dried in a supercritical fluid extractor under a constant CO₂ flow of 15 g/min at 35°C and 200 bar for 5 h to obtain porous scaffolds. Scanning electron microscope views showed that the drying of gels under supercritical CO₂ lead to the formation of microporous scaffolds with a pore size distribution of 30–150 μm. Addition of nanohydroxyapatite particles did not significantly affect the pore size distribution. Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and X‐Ray diffraction analyses supported the successful incorporation of nanohydroxyapatite particles in the scaffold. An increase in water uptake and mechanical strength were observed in composite scaffolds. The results obtained from this study indicated that chitosan‐nanohydroxyapatite scaffolds prepared by using supercritical CO₂ shall be considered as a potential candidate for bone tissue engineering applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers