Use of lecithin to control fiber morphology in electrospun poly (ɛ‐caprolactone) scaffolds for improved tissue engineering applications

Abstract

We elucidate the effects of incorporating surfactants into electrospun poly (ɛ‐caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds on network homogeneity, cellular adherence and osteogenic differentiation. Lecithin was added with a range of concentrations to PCL solutions, which were electrospun to yield functionalized scaffolds. Addition of lecithin yielded a dose‐dependent reduction in scaffold hydrophobicity, whilst reducing fiber width and hence increasing specific surface area. These changes in scaffold morphology were associated with increased cellular attachment of Saos‐2 osteoblasts 3‐h postseeding. Furthermore, cells on scaffolds showed comparable proliferation over 14 days of incubation to TCP controls. Through model‐based interpretation of image analysis combined with gravimetric estimates of porosity, lecithin is shown to reduce scaffold porosity and mean pore size. Additionally, lecithin incorporation is found to reduce fiber curvature, resulting in increased scaffold specific elastic modulus. Low concentrations of lecithin were found to induce upregulation of several genes associated with osteogenesis in primary mesenchymal stem cells. The results demonstrate that functionalization of electrospun PCL scaffolds with lecithin can increase the biocompatibility and regenerative potential of these networks for bone tissue engineering applications. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2865–2874, 2017.

Electrospun PCL, gold nanoparticles, and soy lecithin composite material for tissue engineering applications

“…This is in agreement with a paper by Coverdale et al. 35 that demonstrated a decrease in modulus as the amount of lecithin increased. This decrease correlates to a more flexible mesh material, which would be better suited for some tissue engineering applications.…”

“…An early paper demonstrated as the amount of lecithin in the PCL mixture increases from 0% to 20%, the contact angle decreased from 121° to 16.4°. 35 In our study, utilizing a 30% lecithin (and above) resulted in complete wetting. In addition, the presence of AuNPs did not hinder the wettability of the mesh materials.…”

“…This same general trend was observed in previous papers 44,45 but is not in agreement with a recent paper which demonstrated decreasing fiber size as lecithin concentration increased. 35 However, the effect was demonstrated in a PCL mesh with 0% to only 20% lecithin. Greater amounts of lecithin (>30% lecithin) were shown to increase fiber diameter; it is thought that this phenomenon is due to more solute being ejected at the tip of the Taylor cone causing an increased fiber diameter.…”

“…Coverdale et al. 35 also incorporated lecithin into electrospun PCL scaffolds to lower the hydrophobicity of the polymer. This study found that the blended mats drastically reduced hydrophobicity, but also resulted in increased biocompatibility, and enhanced the efficiency of cell-seeding.…”

Development of Inula graveolens (L.) Plant Extract Electrospun/Polycaprolactone Nanofibers: A Novel Material for Biomedical Application

“…as described by Khalaji et al [18]. A biodegradable polymer such as poly(ε-caprolactone) has been extensively applied in the electrospinning method and has multiple biomedical applications due to its interesting mechanical properties and biocompatibility [19,20]. However, because of its hydrophobicity, it is not easy to provide an ability for cell adhesion, development, and proliferation.…”