Nanostructured Hydrogels by Blend Electrospinning of Polycaprolactone/Gelatin Nanofibers

Abstract

Nanofibrous membranes based on polycaprolactone (PCL) have a large potential for use in biomedical applications but are limited by the hydrophobicity of PCL. Blend electrospinning of PCL with other biomedical suited materials, such as gelatin (Gt) allows for the design of better and new materials. This study investigates the possibility of blend electrospinning PCL/Gt nanofibrous membranes which can be used to design a range of novel materials better suited for biomedical applications. The electrospinnability and stability of PCL/Gt blend nanofibers from a non-toxic acid solvent system are investigated. The solvent system developed in this work allows good electrospinnable emulsions for the whole PCL/Gt composition range. Uniform bead-free nanofibers can easily be produced, and the resulting fiber diameter can be tuned by altering the total polymer concentration. Addition of small amounts of water stabilizes the electrospinning emulsions, allowing the electrospinning of large and homogeneous nanofibrous structures over a prolonged period. The resulting blend nanofibrous membranes are analyzed for their composition, morphology, and homogeneity. Cold-gelling experiments on these novel membranes show the possibility of obtaining water-stable PCL/Gt nanofibrous membranes, as well as nanostructured hydrogels reinforced with nanofibers. Both material classes provide a high potential for designing new material applications.

<p>Electrospun polycaprolactone/collagen nanofibers cross-linked with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/<em>N-</em>hydroxysuccinimide and genipin facilitate endothelial cell regeneration and may be a promising candidate for vascular scaffolds</p>

“…In the separated nanofibers, we could see thicker fibers and larger pores than in the mixed nanofibers, which was similar to a previous study. 7 In fact, the diameter of the separated nanofibers was similar to pure PCL fibers, 3 which means the blending of PCL and collagen attenuated the diameter of the fibers. Collagen is a type of polyelectrolyte that can increase charge density.…”

“…Ideal biomaterials should exhibit cytocompatibility, a low immune response, and appropriate mechanical performances. [1][2][3] There are many approaches that are used to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM), which can serve as scaffolds to facilitate cell attachment and supply signals to induce cell migration and proliferation. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the ECM of both soft and hard tissues.…”

Morphology and Properties of Electrospun PCL and Its Composites for Medical Applications: A Mini Review

“…In addition, the blending of PCL with other synthetic polymers with different properties for the preparation of polymer blends, after which the fabricated fillers can be introduced to the blends to afford PCL/blends composites with tremendous enhancement of the mechanical properties [79,83,84]. Table 4 summarizes the different solvent systems for electrospinning of PCL/filler nanocomposites and their mechanical properties [27,52,56,58,[62][63][64]67,72,80,82,[84][85][86][87][88][89]. Of all mechanical properties presented, modulus, tensile and strain, there was a discernible increase when the nanoclay is introduced at 1% and 5%.…”

Plasma-Coated Polycaprolactone Nanofibers with Covalently Bonded Platelet-Rich Plasma Enhance Adhesion and Growth of Human Fibroblasts

“…It should be noted that the spreading of cells on the surface of substrates is a complex process and it is controlled by the matrix–integrin interactions that form adhesion sites [15,18,19,20,21]. The co-spinning of PCL with collagen [22,23], gelatin [24], chitosan [25], or other bioactive substances [26,27] enriches matrices by natural adhesion sites, thereby improving the cell adhesion properties of nanofibers and consequently contributing to the normal cell functioning [17,18]. Platelet-rich plasma is often used in regenerative medicine because it is a naturally balanced ensemble of growth factors, components of the extracellular matrix including fibronectin (FN) necessary for dynamic connection with substrate [14,28,29,30,31,32].…”