title: Aligned poly(L-lactic-co-e-caprolactone) electrospun microfibers and knitted structure: a novel composite scaffold for ligament tissue engineering.
abstract: We developed a novel technique involving knitting and electrospinning to fabricate a composite scaffold for ligament tissue engineering. Knitted structures were coated with poly(L-lactic-co-e-caprolactone) (PLCL) and then placed onto a rotating cylinder and a PLCL solution was electrospun onto the structure. Highly aligned 2-microm-diameter microfibers covered the space between the stitches and adhered to the knitted scaffolds. The stress-strain tensile curves exhibited an initial toe region similar to the tensile behavior of ligaments. Composite scaffolds had an elastic modulus (150 +/- 14 MPa) similar to the modulus of human ligaments. Biological evaluation showed that cells proliferated on the composite scaffolds and they spontaneously orientated along the direction of microfiber alignment. The microfiber architecture also induced a high level of extracellular matrix secretion, which was characterized by immunostaining. We found that cells produced collagen type I and type III, two main components found in ligaments. After 14 days of culture, collagen type III started to form a fibrous network. We fabricated a composite scaffold having the mechanical properties of the knitted structure and the morphological properties of the aligned microfibers. It is difficult to seed a highly macroporous structure with cells, however the technique we developed enabled an easy cell seeding due to presence of the microfiber layer. Therefore, these scaffolds presented attractive properties for a future use in bioreactors for ligament tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: Group of Cell and Tissue Engineering, LEMTA, Nancy-Université, CNRS, Vandoeuvre, France. vaquettc@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Cédryck
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vaquette
authors.forename: Cyril
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Frochot
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nouvel
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Six
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: De Isla
authors.forename: Li-Hua
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cooper-White
authors.forename: Rachid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rahouadj
authors.forename: Xiong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000494:pharmacology; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008022:Ligaments / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013718:Tensile Strength / Q000187:drug effects; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011091:Polyesters; C550605:poly(lactic acid-co-epsilon-caprolactone)