Electrospun 3D multi-scale fibrous scaffold for enhanced human dermal fibroblasts infiltration

Abstract

Electrospun polymeric nanofibrous scaffold possesses significant potential in the field of tissue engineering due to its extracellular matrix mimicking topographical features that modulate a variety of key cellular activities. However, traditional two-dimensional (2D) electrospun scaffolds are generally close-packed fiber mats which prohibit cell infiltration and proliferation. Consequently, the applications of electrospun scaffolds in regenerative medicine are limited. In this study, we detail the use of a needle collector to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) electrospun poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) scaffolds with multi-scale fiber dimensions. The resultant pore size is 4 times larger than conventional 2D electrospun scaffolds with interweaving micro (3.3 ± 0.6 µm) and nano (240 ± 50 nm) fibers. The scaffold was surface modified by grafting with gelatin molecules. It was found that surface modification significantly improved human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) cell infiltration throughout the 3D multi-scale scaffold. Even after an extended culture period of up to 28 days, cell proliferation was well supported in the surface-modified 3D multi-scale scaffold as confirmed by Ki67 staining. Extracellular matrix proteins secreted by the HDFs was evident on the 3D multi-scale PCL scaffold showing promising potential to facilitate tissue regeneration, in particular dermal tissue engineering.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition of cancer cells using bioengineered hybrid scaffold composed of hydrogel/3D-fibrous framework

“…These fibers form a non-woven fabric that highly mimics the fibrous network of native ECM with fiber diameters that is close to ECM fibrils (i.e., from nanometer to micrometer) 22 . Electrospun fiber matrices have been shown to offer morphologic cues that result in enhanced cell responses 23,24 . These fibrous scaffolds have presented improved cell attachment, proliferation, migration, and gene expression signature 25–27 .…”

Fabrication and characterization of the 3D‐printed polycaprolactone/fish bone extract scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration

“…Several techniques are employed for the fabrication of porous scaffolds, including gas foaming, electrospinning, fiber bonding, and liquid–liquid phase separation . However, the major disadvantage of these techniques is that the size of individual pore and strut cannot be precisely controlled .…”

A Solvent-Free Surface Suspension Melt Technique for Making Biodegradable PCL Membrane Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications

“…The fibers in electrospun scaffolds are very thin, which can yield micro to nano-fibers. [12,13,17]. Like solution casting, electrospinning processes usually require the use of an organic solvent to dissolve a biodegradable polymer such as polycaprolactone, PCL [17,18] or poly(L-lactic) acid, PLLA [19].…”

“…[12,13,17]. Like solution casting, electrospinning processes usually require the use of an organic solvent to dissolve a biodegradable polymer such as polycaprolactone, PCL [17,18] or poly(L-lactic) acid, PLLA [19]. In order to use these membranes for TE scaffolds, a post-processing step for solvent removal is necessary to ensure the cell compatibility of the membrane.…”