Electrospinning of Poly-caprolactone for Scaffold Manufacturing: Experimental Investigation on the Process Parameters Influence

Abstract The term “tissue engineering” refers to applications related with the repair or replacement of portions or whole tissue (i.e., bone, cartilage, blood vessels, skin, muscle etc.). Often, the tissues involved require certain mechanical and structural properties for their proper functioning. This leads to three-dimensional scaffolds fabrication to support cellular in-growth and proliferation. Scaffolds having tailored, biomimetic (across multiple scales) geometries have become important. Various technologies come together to construct porous scaffolds to regenerate the tissues and also for controlled and targeted release of bioactive agents in tissue engineering applications. The objective of the present work is to produce porous polymeric scaffolds made of Poly (ɛ-Caprolactone) (PCL), by electrospinning. Electrospinning is a process whereby ultra-fine fibers are formed in a high-voltage electrostatic field. The electrospun structure has a morphology similar to the extracellular matrix (ECM) of natural tissue, which is characterized by a wide range of pore diameters distribution, high porosity, and effective mechanical properties and is capable of supporting cells attachment and proliferation. The effects of process variables such as voltage, solution concentration and deposition distance on the structure have been studied. A combination of elongated beads and fibers, known as the bead-on-string morphology is also observed under many conditions. The fibrous structure is stabilized at high concentrations and voltages. The functional complexity of electrospun scaffolds provides significant advantages over other techniques. The wide range of structural characteristics that may be obtained in an electrospun polymer makes it suitable for many biomedical applications including medical textiles, drug delivery, membrane separation and organ regeneration. However, improvements are required before optimal utilization in vivo becomes routine. Improved deposition efficiency is necessary to maintain the attractiveness of this technique.

[1]  David C. Martin,et al.  Processing and microstructural characterization of porous biocompatible protein polymer thin films , 1999 .

[2]  B. Yalcinkaya,et al.  On the nature of electric current in the electrospinning process , 2013 .

[3]  Linda G Griffith,et al.  Engineering principles of clinical cell-based tissue engineering. , 2004, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[4]  D Annis,et al.  An elastomeric vascular prosthesis. , 1978, Transactions - American Society for Artificial Internal Organs.

[5]  Fengyu Li,et al.  Core-Shell Nanofibers: Nano Channel and Capsule by Coaxial Electrospinning , 2010 .

[6]  R. M. Nerem,et al.  Tissue engineering in the USA , 1992, Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing.

[7]  Raju Adhikari,et al.  Recent developments in biodegradable synthetic polymers. , 2006, Biotechnology annual review.

[8]  Yiu-Wing Mai,et al.  Electrospinning of polymer nanofibers: Effects on oriented morphology, structures and tensile properties , 2010 .

[9]  D. Hutmacher,et al.  The return of a forgotten polymer : Polycaprolactone in the 21st century , 2009 .

[10]  Joydip Kundu,et al.  Biomaterial Scaffold Fabrication Techniques for Potential Tissue Engineering Applications , 2010 .

[11]  J. Vacanti,et al.  Tissue engineering : Frontiers in biotechnology , 1993 .

[12]  M. Horne,et al.  Review Paper: A Review of the Cellular Response on Electrospun Nanofibers for Tissue Engineering , 2009, Journal of biomaterials applications.

[13]  Yuhui Li,et al.  Techniques for fabrication and construction of three-dimensional scaffolds for tissue engineering , 2013, International journal of nanomedicine.

[14]  Myron Spector,et al.  Biomaterials-based tissue engineering and regenerative medicine solutions to musculoskeletal problems. , 2006, Swiss medical weekly.

[15]  Burak Erman,et al.  Electrospinning of polyurethane fibers , 2002 .

[16]  I. Yannas,et al.  Design of an artificial skin. I. Basic design principles. , 1980, Journal of biomedical materials research.

[17]  Geoffrey Ingram Taylor,et al.  Electrically driven jets , 1969, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

[18]  Geun Hyung Kim.  Electrospun PCL nanofibers with anisotropic mechanical properties as a biomedical scaffold , 2008, Biomedical materials.

[19]  A. Gloria,et al.  Mechanical and biological behaviour of PCL and PCL/PLA scaffolds for tissue engineering applications , 2013 .

[20]  DW Hutmacher,et al.  Concepts of scaffold-based tissue engineering—the rationale to use solid free-form fabrication techniques , 2007, Journal of cellular and molecular medicine.

[21]  Myung-Seob Khil,et al.  Characterization of nano-structured poly(ε-caprolactone) nonwoven mats via electrospinning , 2003 .

[22]  J. Lannutti,et al.  Electrospinning for tissue engineering scaffolds , 2007 .

[23]  J. Silver,et al.  POLYMERIC TEMPLATE FACILITATES REGENERATION OF SCIATIC NERVE ACROSS 15-mm GAP. , 1985 .