title: Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) hollow fibre membranes for use as a tissue engineering scaffold.
abstract: Mass transfer limitations of scaffolds are currently hindering the development of 3-dimensional, clinically viable, tissue engineered constructs. We have developed a poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) hollow fibre membrane scaffold that will provide support for cell culture, allow psuedovascularisation in vitro and provide channels for angiogenesis in vivo. We produced P(DL)LGA flat sheet membranes using 1, 4-dioxane and 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) as solvents and water as the nonsolvent, and hollow fibre membranes, using NMP and water, by dry/wet- and wet-spinning. The resulting fibres had an outer diameter of 700 micro m and an inner diameter of 250 micro m with 0.2-1.0 micro m pores on the culture surface. It was shown that varying the air gap and temperature when spinning changed the morphology of the fibres. The introduction of a 50 mm air gap caused a dense skin of 5 micro m thick to form, compared to a skin of 0.5 micro m thick without an air gap. Spinning at 40 degrees C produced fibres with a more open central section in the wall that contained more, larger macrovoids compared to fibres spun at 20 degrees C. Culture of the immortalised osteogenic cell line 560pZIPv.neo (pZIP) was carried out on the P(DL)LGA flat sheets in static culture and in a P(DL)LGA hollow fibre bioreactor under counter-current flow conditions. Attachment and proliferation was statistically similar to tissue culture polystyrene on the flat sheets and was also successful in the hollow fibre bioreactor. The P(DL)LGA hollow fibres are a promising scaffold to address the size limitations currently seen in tissue engineered constructs.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, UK. m.j.ellis@bath.ac.uk
authors.forename: Marianne J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: Julian B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Chaudhuri
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D006016:Glycolates / Q000737:chemistry*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D006016:Glycolates; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019344:Lactic Acid