Polyvinyl alcohol‐poly(caprolactone) Semi IPN scaffold with implication for cartilage tissue engineering

Abstract

Polycaprolactone is an FDA approved aliphatic polyester that is widely used as a scaffold for tissue engineering. It is hydrophobic and doesn't have any reactive functional groups on the polymer for further modification. Blending with other hydrophilic polymers like polyvinyl alcohol helps to generate a hybrid polymer with better properties. In this study we have been able to fabricate a novel porous 3D scaffold of Semi-IPN Poly (caprolactone)-Poly (vinyl alcohol). The Semi IPN is phase mixed and has synergistic properties of its constituent polymers. The hybrid scaffold is nontoxic and highly hydrophilic with greater percentage of swelling and is also amenable for further modification with bioactive peptides. Although porous with an open interconnected porous structure, the scaffold has adequate mechanical strength to withstand the load imparted by the cells during in vitro culture. Porcine chondrocytes seeded within the unmodified scaffolds secrete extra cellular matrix components revealing that the hybrid scaffold has immense potential for tissue engineering applications.

Controlling the Porosity and Microarchitecture of Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering

“…4A, B). 88 The hydrogel exhibited excellent support for cellular activity in both 2D and 3D. Mechanical stirring and an emulsifier have been used to create emulsions of two immiscible phases before the fabrication of porosity in hydrogels.…”

“…Porous PVA-PCL hybrid hydrogels with enhanced mechanical properties were successfully fabricated by creating an emulsion followed by freeze-drying and crosslinking. 88 In this study, PVA and PCL solutions were well mixed by using mechanical stirring to create homogeneous foam. The foam was immediately frozen at À708C and lyophilized at À858C for 24 h to acquire a highly porous 3D hydrogel with open and interconnected pores ranging from 30 to 300 mm.…”

Significance of soluble growth factors in the chondrogenic response of human umbilical cord matrix stem cells in a porous three dimensional scaffold

“…Polyvinyl alcohol-polycaprolactone semi-interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) scaffolds for the study were prepared as per the established protocol (Mohan and Nair, 2008). Briefly, the scaffold was fabricated by mixing (3000 rpm) polyvinyl alcohol (aqueous solution) and polycaprolactone (in chloroform) at equal concentrations using a mechanical stirrer to form a homogeneous foam.…”

“…The lyophilised scaffolds were cut into discs of desired size, sterilised by ethylene oxide and stored till use. The scaffolds were physicochemically characterised to demonstrate their porous structure, swelling ability, chemical composition and biodegradation profile using various techniques, as reported in our earlier studies (Mohan and Nair, 2008).…”

“…The polymers in the semi-IPN synthetic scaffold mimic the properties of collagen and glycosaminoglycans present in native cartilage. Its appropriate swelling and pore structure enabled cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions promoting better chondrogenesis and enhanced secretion of extracellular matrix components (Mohan and Nair, 2008). In addition to the scaffold characteristics, microenvironment also plays a pivotal role in chondrogenesis.…”