Creation of a Hybrid Scaffold with Dual Configuration of Aligned and Random Electrospun Fibers

Abstract

A novel hybrid construct was developed by combining aligned fibers (AFs) and random fibers (RFs) to form a scaffolding system. Homogeneous fiber-based structures were fabricated by electrospinning, which produced both random and aligned fiber mats depending on the collection method. The upper part of the scaffold contained an AF layer, which possessed a well-organized configuration that provided uniaxial topographic guidance. For mechanical stability and support, the lower part of the scaffold was composed of an RF layer. Despite the presence of randomly distributed RFs, desirable alignment and differentiation could be achieved in cultured C2C12 myoblasts by controlling the density of AF layer. The fibrous structure of the hybrid scaffold also exhibited high porosity and therefore reasonable permeability. Owing to the structural stability provided by the underlying RFs, the cell-laden fibrous scaffolds were amenable to physical manipulation, such as multilayering. Collectively, the morphological features and manipulable architecture of the developed scaffolds suggest that they would perform well in practical applications.

Fabrication of random and aligned electrospun nanofibers containing graphene oxide for skeletal muscle cells scaffold

“…Electrospun nanofiber mats produced by electrospinning are highly promising materials for fabricating scaffolds for tissue engineering because of their correspondences to natural extracellular matrix fibrils . SEM images of random and aligned nanofiber mats produced by electrospinning are displayed in Figure A,B, respectively.…”

“…Skeletal muscle cells (C2C12) used in the experiments were obtained from the cell bank located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The cells were cultured using a concentration of 500 cells/cm 2 , according to the methodology employed by Park et al For the experiments, the cells were washed with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) (three times) and fixed (for 30 minutes) with a 5% glutaraldehyde solution. The samples were then washed with distilled water for 5 minutes, and slowly dehydrated by sequentially immersing them in concentrations of 30%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, and 100% of ethanol solution for 5 minutes each.…”

“…Immunostaining was employed to evaluate the orientation and elongation of C2C12 cells. The procedure consisted in inserting the scaffolds in a formaldehyde solution (3.7%) for 30 minutes.…”

“…Such tissues are concurrently composed of both aligned extra cellular matrix fibrils and random collagen fibril mesh of connective tissues. The aim was to fill these same roles when employing random mats to develop scaffolds . Therefore, the understanding of the orientation of random and aligned nanofibers used in scaffolds on skeletal muscle cells is crucial for medicine and nanotoxicological studies .…”

Effect of spatial arrangement and structure of hierarchically patterned fibrous scaffolds generated by a femtosecond laser on cardiomyoblast behavior

“…Indeed, this importance of considering the structural aspect of a biomaterial is reflected by the fact that various materials without a hierarchical structure have often failed to replace the tissue or enhance natural tissue functions . In the past several decades, there have been many attempts to fabricate biomaterials with a hierarchical fibrous structure by generating a nano/microscale structure on prefabricated fibrous scaffolds using a chemical modification method or macroscale‐specialized tools . However, such conventional fabrication methods of hierarchical fibrous structures require complicated processes, which tend to result in inevitable changes in the properties or collapse of the fibrous structure.…”