Regulating
cell migration dynamics is of significance in tissue
engineering and regenerative medicine. A 3D scaffold was created to
provide various topographies based on a poly(ε-caprolactone)
(PCL) self-induced nanohybrid shish-kebab structure, which consisted
of aligned PCL nanofibers and spaced PCL crystal lamellae grown on
the fibers. Electrospinning was applied followed by self-induced crystallization.
The results resembled natural collagen fibrils in an extracellular
matrix. This variable microstructure enabled control of cell adhesion
and migration. The kebab size was controlled by initial PCL concentrations.
The geometry of cells seeded on the fibers was less elongated, but
the adhesion was more polarized with a higher nuclear shape index
and faster migration speed. These results could aid in rapid endothelialization
in tissue engineering.
Polytetrafluoroethylene
(PTFE) is one of the polymers extensively applied in biomedicine.
However, the application of PTFE as a small-diameter vascular graft
results in thrombosis and intimal hyperplasia because of the immune
response. Therefore, improving the biocompatibility and anticoagulant
properties of PTFE is a key to solving this problem. In this study,
a hydroxyl group-rich surface was obtained by oxidizing a benzoin-reduced
PTFE membrane. Then, chondroitin sulfate (CS), an anticoagulant, was
grafted on the surface of the hydroxylated PTFE membrane using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane.
The successful modification of the membrane in each step was demonstrated
by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy. Hydroxylation and the grafting of CS greatly increased
the hydrophilicity and roughness of membrane samples. Moreover, the
hydroxylated PTFE membrane enhanced the adhesion ability of endothelial
cells, and the grafting of CS also promoted the proliferation of endothelial
cells and decreased platelet adhesion. The results indicate that the
PTFE membranes grafted with CS are able to facilitate rapid endothelialization
and inhibit thrombus formation, which makes the proposed method outstanding
for artificial blood vessel applications.
Despite their immiscibility, blending polylactic acid (PLA) with poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) provides an efficient strategy for obtaining a biopolymer blend with tailored properties due to their complementary physical properties. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was employed as a 2-D nanofiller and nucleating agent to improve the properties of the immiscible PLA/PCL blends at 70/30, 50/50, and 30/70 weight ratios. Nanofibers of PLA/PCL blends and PLA/PCL/GO composites were investigated. It was interesting to find that the GO selectively localized in the minor phase resulting from the phase separation. The selective localization of the GO as the nucleating agent had an influence on the degree of crystallinity and crystalline morphology in the blended composites. This study also demonstrated that the molecular chains in the PLA phase oriented along the fiber axes, while in the PCL phase, the partial crystallites changed their orientation direction to be perpendicular to the fiber axes with the addition of GO.
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