Hybrid Scaffolds Built From PET and Collagen as a Model For Vascular Graft Architecture

Abstract

A hybrid material with excellent mechanical and biological properties is produced by electrospinning a co-solution of PET and collagen. The fibers are mapped using SEM, confocal Raman microscopy and collagenase digestion assays. Fibers of different compositions and morphologies are intermingled within the same membrane, resulting in a heterogeneous scaffold. The collagen distribution and exposure are found to depend on the PET/collagen ratio. The materials are chemically and mechanically characterized and biologically tested with fibroblasts (3T3-L1) and a HUVEC culture in vitro. All of the hybrid scaffolds show better cell attachment and proliferation than PET. These materials are potential candidates to be used as vascular grafts.

Endothelial Cell Lining of PET Vascular Prostheses: Modification with Degradable Polyester-based Copolymers and Adhesive Protein Multi-layers

“…The mismatch in visco-elastic properties between the native artery and the rigid Dacron graft contributes to intimal hyperplasia and graft failure. Integrating synthetic and natural degradable polymers into the vascular graft wall might endow the novel grafts with more appropriate tensile and elastic mechanical properties [23,24,43].…”

“…polyethylene oxide-polylactic acid-segmented copolymers, exhibited a highly flexible elastomer-like mechanical response in vitro [23]. A hybrid material with excellent mechanical and biological properties has been produced by electrospinning a co-solution of PET and collagen [24].…”

Collagen-like peptides and peptide–polymer conjugates in the design of assembled materials

“…In order to obtain desired mechanical and physiological properties of the scaffolds, a variety of other components rather than collagen have been incorporated to form the hydrogels. These components includes not only synthetic polymers such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG),[103–105] poly(ethylene oxide) diacrylate (PEODA),[106] poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA),[107, 108] and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET),[109] but also naturally occurring biomacromolecules such as hyaluronic acid,[104, 110–112] and chitosan. [105, 111]…”

Evaluation of electrospun PLLA-ECM scaffolds as biomaterials for bone regeneration

“…Reports suggest that electrospinning of co--solution produces hybrid scaffolds with biomolecules distributed in the nanofibers mesh, producing fibres of both constituents and fibres of a single component (Heydarkhan--Hagvall et al 2008;Burrows et al 2012). Agarwal and co--workers suggested that the biomolecules present in these materials direct stem cell fate by change their conformation to expose additional cell--binding sites or being released from the scaffold as a soluble factor.…”