Fibrous PCL/PLLA Scaffolds Obtained by Rotary Jet Spinning and Electrospinning

Abstract

Rotary jet spinning (RJS) and electrospinning are techniques to obtain fibrous scaffolds. RJS is a simple method, which fabricates three-dimensional fibers by exploiting a high-speed rotating nozzle, creating a polymer jet which stretches until solidification, and does not require high voltage. In opposite, electrospinning technique needs the presence of an external electric field to create fiber from the polymeric jet solution. This article investigates both processes using two different biocompatible polymers: Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). Samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimeter, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Morphological observations showed the efficiency of both techniques in obtaining nanofibers. Thermal analyses of data indicate immiscible property of different blends and the total solvent evaporation. In vitro cytocompatibility test showed that RJS and electrospinning samples exhibited good cytocompatibility. Based on these results, it may be concluded that the fibers obtained with both technologies are non-cytotoxicity and with good biocompatibility, and might be suitable for applications as scaffold for cell growth.

Viability Assays of PLLA Fibrous Membranes Produced by Rotary Jet Spinning for Application in Tissue Engineering

“…When analyzing the obtained PLLA fibers in SEM ( Figure 1) is possible to note the formation of uniform and no presence of beads and pores along them. Comparing the fibers obtained in this work by RJS with the fibers obtained in other work in literature also using RJS [14], the results are significantly different showing beads and pores along the fibers, and the production of nanofibers while this work presented homogenous PLLA microfibers. The formation of PLLA fibers without defects demonstrates that the process occurred ideally, with a good viscosity and concentration maintaining the solution physical properties during the process [16].…”

“…Rotary jet spinning is known to be a relatively new process where polymeric membranes and fibers, ranging to micro from nano-scales, can be produced through a high speed of rotation in which a polymer solution is exposed [13]. The use of RJS technique shows a great advantage when compared to the electrospinning, the most used nowadays, since the use of electric field and conductive electrical solution is not necessary, making RJS an attractive and low cost process [14].…”

In vitro Evaluation of PHBV/PCL Blends for Bone Tissue Engineering

“…Taken together, the data indicate a good cytochemical performance of the cells on the polymers. Comparative data were recently presented on fibrous PCL materials 26 or PLLA/ PCL blends 27 . However, the 50:50 blend seemed to show inferior results to the other polymers studied.…”

Poly (ε-caprolactone)/Poly (lactic acid) fibers produced by rotary jet spinning for skin dressing with antimicrobial activity

“…The production of fibers by rotary jet spinning is known to produce fibrous matrices with high yield, at least 50 times more efficient on a laboratory scale than electrospinning, at low cost. 14,30 It was shown previously by Vida et al, 29 the successful production of PCL/PLLA fibers by rotary jet spinning. However, many differences can be pointed out in that study and in our approach.…”

“…In the case of VAN-loaded membranes, a broad band appeared in the regions from 3693 to 3030 cm À1 , which is associated with the hydroxyl stretching, indicating the effective incorporation of the antibiotic in the fibers. 28,29 The spectra obtained with the FTIR show that there was no band shift with the addition of the antibiotic, suggesting that there are weak interactions between VAN and the polymeric chains of both PCL and PLA.…”