Fabrication and Evaluation of Polycaprolactone Beads-on-String Membranes for Applications in Bone Tissue Regeneration

Abstract

Tissue engineering leads to the development of biomaterial scaffolds where its biocompatibility and bioactivity are often improved after performing physical or chemical surface modification treatments. Micropatterning, soft lithography, and biofabrication are also approaches that provide a biomimetic microenvironment but have proven very costly and time consuming. In this concern, an appropriate substrate with suitable sites for cell attachment represents a major factor in cell behavior and biological functions. For this reason, our strategy was to fabricate a standard fibrous biomaterial with reproducible surface topography, incorporating microbeads and nanofeatures, and show the positive outcomes of the new substrate reflected on cell functions of bone cells. The electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) beads-on-string membranes were obtained by adjusting the spinning solution at different concentrations until continuous beads were formed. Cell adhesion and proliferation, on the PCL scaffold, were analyzed the subsequent 2 days after initial culture. Complementary studies of cytoskeleton spreading and differentiation were analyzed after 7 and 14 days of the initial incubation. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed evidence of the formation of beads-on-string nanofibers and suggested that as-formed microstructures worked as attachment sites for osteoblasts. We investigated cell proliferation using anti-BrdU fluorescence assay, and results show a similar proliferation rate of cells cultured between PCL scaffolds and control. Finally, Phalloidin TRITC and antisialoprotein antibody were used to analyze cell spreading and differentiation after 7 and 14 days, respectively. This work shows a low-cost fabrication method to produce a biodegradable scaffold with micro/nanostructured characteristics that favor cell adhesion, proliferation, maturation, and subsequent differentiation of osteoblasts. According to the results, the biocompatibility of PCL beads-on-string could be comparable to other complex biomaterials, and we conclude that our scaffold is optimal for applications in bone tissue regeneration.

Antimicrobial Polymer–Peptide Conjugates Based on Maximin H5 and PEG to Prevent Biofouling of E. coli and P. aeruginosa

“…Subsequently, the samples were placed in 24-well plates and incubated for 72 h at 37 °C. Sample fixation and dehydration were performed according to Bello et al, as well as HMDS drying protocol as published elsewhere. , Finally, the samples were mounted on aluminum mount holders (12.2 mm) and sputtered with a thin gold film (about 5 nm thick). This process was repeated in the evaluation of biofilms using the MH5C-Cys.…”

Covalently Bonded N-Acetylcysteine-polyester Loaded in PCL Scaffolds for Enhanced Interactions with Fibroblasts

“…Since more adhesion proteins could be absorbed on them, scaffolds with higher specific areas offer a larger number of available adhesion points for cell attachment. 29,50 Cell attachment, on the other hand, is favored on more hydrophilic scaffolds, since it presents higher surface energy. 2 Another fact that has to be considered is that NAC is a cysteine derivative, an amino acid that is one of the main components of fibroblast receptors.…”

“…The interactions of the scaffolds with fibroblasts (McCoy cells) were also investigated in terms of cell viability, proliferation, and adhesion as indicative of the performance of the material in tissue regeneration. 29 To the best of our knowledge, these are the first studies on developing electrospun fibers composed of blends of PCL and PGlCL-NAC for tissue regeneration. We understand that this study could be a starting point for future studies on the design of new devices for tissue regeneration based on covalently modified PGlCL and an important contribution to the development of more effective medical treatments.…”

“…Chemical and physical–chemical properties of the scaffolds were evaluated, such as their chemical composition, thermal properties, and wettability. The interactions of the scaffolds with fibroblasts (McCoy cells) were also investigated in terms of cell viability, proliferation, and adhesion as indicative of the performance of the material in tissue regeneration . To the best of our knowledge, these are the first studies on developing electrospun fibers composed of blends of PCL and PGlCL-NAC for tissue regeneration.…”

Effective Regulation of Polycaprolactone Molecular Weight and Oligomers Content Using Tetraphenyltin Catalyst

“…Polycaprolactone (PCL) has various biological applications, such as being a controlled drug release carrier, [1][2][3][4] fluorescent probe, [5] cell-encapsulation device, [6] tissue culture bed frame, [7][8][9][10][11] biological dye, [12] and medical modeling material. [8,[13][14][15][16] This is because of its excellent biodegradation [17][18][19] and biocompatibility. [20][21][22] Several studies have reported that minimal water, oxygen, and hydroxy compounds can initiate the ring-opening polymerization of caprolactone.…”