Association of electrospinning with electrospraying: a strategy to produce 3D scaffolds with incorporated stem cells for use in tissue engineering

Abstract

In tissue engineering, a uniform cell occupation of scaffolds is crucial to ensure the success of tissue regeneration. However, this point remains an unsolved problem in 3D scaffolds. In this study, a direct method to integrate cells into fiber scaffolds was investigated by combining the methods of electrospinning of fibers and bioelectrospraying of cells. With the associating of these methods, the cells were incorporated into the 3D scaffolds while the fibers were being produced. The scaffolds containing cells (SCCs) were produced using 20% poly(lactide- co -glycolide) solution for electrospinning and mesenchymal stem cells from deciduous teeth as a suspension for bioelectrospraying. After their production, the SCCs were cultivated for 15 days at 37°C with an atmosphere of 5% CO 2 . The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol- 2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide test demonstrated that the cells remained viable and were able to grow between the fibers. Scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of a high number of cells in the structure of the scaffolds and confocal images demonstrated that the cells were able to adapt and spread between the fibers. Histological analysis of the SCCs after 1 day of cultivation showed that the cells were uniformly distributed throughout the thickness of the scaffolds. Some physicochemical properties of the scaffolds were also investigated. SCCs exhibited good mechanical properties, compatible with their handling and further implantation. The results obtained in the present study suggest that the association of electrospinning and bioelectrospraying provides an interesting tool for forming 3D cell-integrated scaffolds, making it a viable alternative for use in tissue engineering.

Novel class of collector in electrospinning device for the fabrication of 3D nanofibrous structure for large defect load‐bearing tissue engineering application

“…The values here obtained for the compressive elastic modulus, stiffness, energy dissipation, and residual strain have not yet been reported for electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds with modified porosity and pore size . The obtained values are also comparable to the mechanical properties of structures fabricated using other techniques such as Solvent‐Casting/Particulate Leaching, Freeze Drying, additive manufacturing, Thermally Induced Phase Separation, gas foaming …”

“…25,31 The obtained values are also comparable to the mechanical properties of structures fabricated using other techniques such as Solvent-Casting/Particulate Leaching, Freeze Drying, additive manufacturing, Thermally Induced Phase Separation, gas foaming. [68][69][70] As a result, it can be asserted that this novel design for fabricating 3D nanofibrous structures is a promising technique to prepare load bearing ECM-like tissue engineering scaffolds. In addition, the introduced method provides versatility characteristic for obtaining mechanical properties needed for a wide range of tissue engineering applications, from soft tissues to stiff ones.…”

Induced Hydrophilicity and In Vitro Preliminary Osteoblast Response of Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Coatings Obtained via MAPLE Deposition and Subsequent Thermal Treatment

“…For example, spin coating, despite being one of the most commonly used methods, does not allow the deposition of structurally complex materials or coating on any substrate, requiring in some cases intermediate adhesion layers to adapt to the coating to the substrate, limiting the efficiency of a certain application (transducer) [8,22]. The electrospinning-electrospray technique presents certain disadvantages for bio applications, such as low seeding efficiency and poor cell infiltration, in all its grades of thickness [23], as well as difficulties precisely controlling the thin film morphology when the immersion precipitation technique is used [4,24]. Nevertheless, other methods have been developed for biomedical applications when improvements in the capacity of PVDF thin films to support cell (e.g., osteoblast) adhesion and proliferation have been required (e.g., graft copolymerization or Chemical Vapour Deposition CVD polymerization [25], melt spun PVDF fiber [26], and dynamic piezoelectric stimulation [27]).…”

Medicated Nanofibers Fabricated Using NaCl Solutions as Shell Fluids in Modified Coaxial Electrospinning

“…Most recently, the usage of electrostatic energy is drawing increasing attention for creating nanoproducts, such as electrospinning, electrospraying, and e-jet printing, which is termed electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) in total. Because liquids can easily interact with electric fields, thus these methods are frequently exploited to remove solvents directly from the solutions to dry and solidify the micro-fluid jets, meanwhile generating micro/nanosize fibers or particles [4,5].…”