Comparison of Different Approaches to Surface Functionalization of Biodegradable Polycaprolactone Scaffolds

Abstract

Due to their good mechanical stability compared to gelatin, collagen or polyethylene glycol nanofibers and slow degradation rate, biodegradable poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) nanofibers are promising material as scaffolds for bone and soft-tissue engineering. Here, PCL nanofibers were prepared by the electrospinning method and then subjected to surface functionalization aimed at improving their biocompatibility and bioactivity. For surface modification, two approaches were used: (i) COOH-containing polymer was deposited on the PCL surface using atmospheric pressure plasma copolymerization of CO 2 and C 2 H 4 , and (ii) PCL nanofibers were coated with multifunctional bioactive nanostructured TiCaPCON film by magnetron sputtering of TiC-CaO-Ti 3 PO x target. To evaluate bone regeneration ability in vitro, the surface-modified PCL nanofibers were immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF, 1×) for 21 days. The results obtained indicate different osteoblastic and epithelial cell response depending on the modification method. The TiCaPCON-coated PCL nanofibers exhibited enhanced adhesion and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells, promoted the formation of Ca-based mineralized layer in SBF and, therefore, can be considered as promising material for bone tissue regeneration. The PCL-COOH nanofibers demonstrated improved adhesion and proliferation of IAR-2 cells, which shows their high potential for skin reparation and wound dressing.

Polysaccharide-Based Bioink Formulation for 3D Bioprinting of an In Vitro Model of the Human Dermis

“…It is known that wettability, along with surface topography, determines cell/material interactions, whereas wettability itself is affected by material chemistry and topography. A general consensus exists that cells favor more hydrophilic surface to adhere and proliferate [49]. The obtained (CA(H 2 O)) values (lower <90 • ) for all samples confirm the hydrophilic character [39] of the ALG/CMC/NFC-based bioink formulation.…”

3D Hierarchical, Nanostructured Chitosan/PLA/HA Scaffolds Doped with TiO2/Au/Pt NPs with Tunable Properties for Guided Bone Tissue Engineering

“…Additionally, in contrast to silver nanoparticles [28], they are characterized by very good chemical stability and are known to disarm reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may have a positive effect on cells' proliferation, since they prevent their apoptosis triggered by oxygen radicals [25][26][27]31]. Lack of scaffolds' toxicity can be also assigned to the well-known biosafety of semi-components, such as chitosan [34][35][36] and PLA [2][3][4][5][6][7], which are widely used for bone-tissue regeneration [38]. Moreover, the scaffolds' architecture seems to provide good conditions for cells' growth and do not hamper their natural behaviors [38].…”

“…Porous materials can be embedded with various substances which promote osteoconduction. The ideal scaffold for this application should meet five conditions, namely biocompatibility, biodegradability, bioactivity, appropriate architecture, and high durability [4][5][6][7][8].…”

Tailored PCL Scaffolds as Skin Substitutes Using Sacrificial PVP Fibers and Collagen/Chitosan Blends

“…Ezhilarasu et al investigated loaded PCL/aloe Vera (AV) blends with curcumin (CUR) and tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH), separately, using electrospinning technique to compare their effects and reported better antibacterial activity and surface wettability for PCL/TCH in comparison with PCL/AL, which could be helpful in wound healing applications [15].One of the frequently used methods for surface functionalization of polyester-based scaffolds is the aminolysis reaction, which introduces free amine groups on the surface of polymers [16]. The synthesis of COOH-functionalized PCL nanofibers through alkaline hydrolysis is another well-known method for its surface modifications [17,18].In this work, after aminolysis on the surface of the electrospun PCL scaffolds, samples were coated with a blend of two biopolymers-chitosan and collagen-using the covalent bonding through different functional groups of PCL such as carbonyl (C=O) to form amide bonds (N-C=O). It is hypothesized that the two features of antibacterial nature and desirable cell signaling could be achieved by the newly introduced cell recognition sites in this approach.…”

“…One of the frequently used methods for surface functionalization of polyester-based scaffolds is the aminolysis reaction, which introduces free amine groups on the surface of polymers [16]. The synthesis of COOH-functionalized PCL nanofibers through alkaline hydrolysis is another well-known method for its surface modifications [17,18].…”