Core-Shell Nanofibrous Scaffold Based on Polycaprolactone-Silk Fibroin Emulsion Electrospinning for Tissue Engineering Applications

Abstract

The vast domain of regenerative medicine comprises complex interactions between specific cells’ extracellular matrix (ECM) towards intracellular matrix formation, its secretion, and modulation of tissue as a whole. In this domain, engineering scaffold utilizing biomaterials along with cells towards formation of living tissues is of immense importance especially for bridging the existing gap of late; nanostructures are offering promising capability of mechano-biological response needed for tissue regeneration. Materials are selected for scaffold fabrication by considering both the mechanical integrity and bioactivity cues they offer. Herein, polycaprolactone (PCL) (biodegradable polyester) and ‘nature’s wonder’ biopolymer silk fibroin (SF) are explored in judicious combinations of emulsion electrospinning rather than conventional electrospinning of polymer blends. The water in oil (W/O) emulsions’ stability is found to be dependent upon the concentration of SF (aqueous phase) dispersed in the PCL solution (organic continuous phase). The spinnability of the emulsions is more dependent upon the viscosity of the solution, dominated by the molecular weight of PCL and its concentration than the conductivity. The nanofibers exhibited distinct core-shell structure with better cytocompatibility and cellular growth with the incorporation of the silk fibroin biopolymer.

Electrospinning Fabrication Methods to Incorporate Laminin in Polycaprolactone for Kidney Tissue Engineering

“…Hybrid scaffolds have a higher ultimate tensile strength compared to PCL. This impact has been demonstrated with other proteins and polymers [34,46]. An increase in Young's modulus have been linked to positive effects such as cell proliferation and spreading, but also negative responses in particular apoptosis [47,48].…”

A biodegradable core-sheath nanofibrous 3D hierarchy prepared by emulsion electrospinning for sustained drug release

“…The concentration of PLA was kept constant and the concentration of theophylline was varied in order to study the effects of drug upon the physicochemical, interfacial and drug release properties of the nanofibrous electrospun mats. The solution that formed the droplets in the emulsion comprised 'dispersed phase' and 'continuous phase', in which the continuous phase was formed by the surrounding dispersing polymer solution [23]. In this study, aqueous droplets of HA and theophylline in water were dispersed in the oil phase of DCM or PLA solution, thus forming W/O emulsion.…”

High-throughput production of silk fibroin-based electrospun fibers as biomaterial for skin tissue engineering applications

“…Silk fibroin fibers can be very hydrophilic due to the high number of amino acid and carboxylic domains they contain. [59] The random coil conformation of the fibers can be stabilized by adding Ca +2 , which causes the formation of β-sheets with Ca +2 between the fibroin domains during both the electrospinning process and post-treatment with ethanol (Figure S2). [60,61] Furthermore, PGS is well known for its hydrophilicity due to the hydroxyl groups present on the polyester's backbone.…”