Electrospun Core–Shell Structure Fibers for Puerarin-Loaded Vascular Grafts

Abstract

Nowadays, small-diameter vascular grafts are attracting considerable interest in tissue engineering and are in great demand in clinical trials. However, the defect of weak patency limits the application of smallcaliber vessels in the coronary artery and peripheral vessel bypass graft surgery. Research shows that puerarin can protect endothelial cells from damage caused by inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. Simultaneously, puerarin can promote endothelial cell proliferation and differentiation. In this study, puerarin-loaded vascular grafts were made through coaxial electrospinning with gelatin by taking poly(L-lactic acid) as the carrier material and multiwalled carbon nanotubes as reinforced materials. The results showed that the resultant fibers have a core−shell structure with enhanced hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity, mechanical properties, and degradability, which are in good agreement with the properties of natural blood vessels. Compared with the commercially available puerarin drugs, the drug release cycle of the as-prepared puerarin-loaded core−shell structure fiber is effectively prolonged and highly efficient. Moreover, the biocompatibility test showed that the fiber that contains puerarin has no toxicity and side effects on endothelial cells, will not cause hemolysis, and meets the national safety regulations for medical materials.

Effects of mechanical properties of carbon-based nanocomposites on scaffolds for tissue engineering applications: a comprehensive review

“…254 They can be added to different materials to overcome their mechanical limitations. 255 Moreover, by incorporating different types of carbon nanostructures in brous systems, their mechanical properties can be altered as desired for specic tissue engineering applications. 256,257 3.4.…”

Water‐soluble astaxanthin and silver enriched poly(vinyl alcohol)/silk fibroin crosslinking electrospun nanofiber for wound dressing

“…The distance was maintained at 14 cm and feeding rate was kept in 1 mL/h. In order to investigate the influences on fiber morphology, different voltages (10,16, and 20 kV) were applied. The spinning time was 4 h and the temperature was kept at 45 C. After electrospinning, the fibrous membranes were placed in a vacuum drying oven at 50 C for 24 h to remove the residual solvent.…”

“…Electrospinning, which has received great attention in the past decades, is unique and effective method of producing nanofibers from various polymers for a wide range of application, especially in the pharmaceutical and medical fields, involving drug delivery, [1][2][3][4][5] tissue engineering scaffolds, [6][7][8][9][10] and wound dressing. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] In the electrospinning process, solutions of polymers are applied to an electric field force opposite to the direction of surface tension under the action of high voltage.…”

Preparation and performance of random- and oriented-fiber membranes with core–shell structures via coaxial electrospinning

“…In addition, functional molecules such as growth factors or active substances could be loaded inside the fibers, allowing the active substances in the material to have a better regulatory effect through continuous and slow release. Han et al ( Han et al, 2021 ) prepared a functional graft loading with puerarin to promote endothelial cell proliferation and differentiation, in which the puerarin with an antiplatelet aggregation effect was used as core layer of the fibers, and Gel/PLLA was used as fiber shell layer. The results showed that puerarin could achieve long-term efficient release, the material had good mechanical properties and degradability, and the biocompatibility results indicated that the core–shell fiber prepared in this way had no cytotoxicity to endothelial cells and did not cause hemolysis.…”