| Abstract: | In this study, a series of electrospun chitosan/polyethylene oxide (PEO) nanofibrous scaffolds containing different amount of cerium-doped bioactive glasses (Ce-BGs) have been fabricated and proposed for tissue engineering applications. On a biological level, higher 8Ce-BG content significantly improved cytocompatibility of the scaffolds. Moreover, results of fibroblast cell culture study showed that greater 8Ce-BG content could enhance cell attachment and cell expansion on fiber mesh. Characterization of the scaffolds revealed that increasing 8Ce-BG content caused bioactive glass nanoparticles to agglomerate at a higher rate. The SEM mapping revealed thorough dispersion of submicrometric clusters in all areas of the polymeric matrix. Contact angle measurements showed that increasing 8Ce-BG/CH ratio from 0 to 10 (wt.%) improved wettability of the scaffold significantly. However, by increasing the ratio beyond 10 (wt.%), the wettability values decreased gradually. In conclusion, it was found that increasing 8Ce-BG/CH weight ratio up to 40 (wt.%) in the scaffold system was practical and useful for soft tissue engineering applications. |
