Synthesis, Physico-chemical Characteristics And Cellular Behavior Of Poly (lactic-co-glycolic Acid)/ Gelatin Nanofibrous Scaffolds For Engineering Soft Connective Tissues

¹Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tehran Science and Research Branch, Azad University, P.O. Box: 4515/775, Tehran, Iran

²Department of Dental Materials, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box: 1983963113, Tehran, Iran

³Bioengineering Research Group, Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Department, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), P.O. Box 14155-4777, Tehran, Iran

⁴Biotechnology Department, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Adv. Mater. Lett., 2016, 7 (2), pp 163-169

DOI: 10.5185/amlett.2016.6003

Publication Date (Web): Jan 04, 2016

Copyright © IAAM-VBRI Press

E-mail: a-zamanian@merc.ac.ir, mozafari.masoud@gmail.com

Abstract

There have been several attempts to synthesis biodegradable polymeric constructs with adequate porous structures for soft connective tissues. In this study, randomly-oriented PLGA-gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds were synthesized by electrospinning method. We offered an appropriate solvent (2, 2, 2-trifluoroethanol) to dissolve both polymers for achieving a homogenous solution without inducing any toxic effects. The results confirmed the formation of high porous and bead free scaffolds, in which an increase in the injection rate slightly decreased the mechanical, swelling ratio and biodegradation behaviors. The modulus and tensile strength for the scaffolds with the injection rate of 0.2 ml/hr were 0.72 ±0.02 and 2.70 ±0.33, respectively. In addition, the evaluation of cell proliferation demonstrated that L929 fibroblast cells spread well on the scaffolds, indicating that they are able to support cell attachment. A possible chemical bond formation has been also suggested for the blending mixture of PLGA and gelatin molecules.

Keywords

Nanofibrous, scaffold, electrospinning, tissue engineering, cellular behavior.