Construction of Aligned Polycaprolactone/Poly(Glycerol Sebacate)/Polysulfone Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering of the Ventricularis Layer of Heart Valves

Abstract

Heart valve diseases (HVDs) are a major health issue and are significant causes of mortality worldwide. Despite technological developments, current valve substitutes still face major challenges such as thrombogenicity, limited durability, and lack of growth or remodeling capabilities. To handle the limitations of currently used valve prostheses, heart valve tissue engineering (HVTE) has become a viable option for generating biological valve alternatives. However, a major challenge when designing functional HVTE is mimicking the structural and anisotropic mechanical characteristics of the valve leaflets in their natural state. To achieve a biomimetic structure, this study aims to create an anisotropic microenvironment by focusing on the ventricularis layer of the leaflet. Through this approach, we reported the fabrication and characterization of a novel composite nanofibrous radial aligned scaffold consisting of polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS), and anticoagulant polysulfone (PSf) polymers by combining 3D printing and electrospinning techniques. Radially aligned PCL/PGS/PSf scaffolds enhanced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) cell viability and induced alignment as shown from fluorescence microscopy analysis. Meeting the anisotropy requirements, the composite heart valves of PCL/PGS/PSf nanofibrous scaffolds would be a tissue engineering construct.