title: Fabrication of three-dimensional poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffolds with hierarchical pore structures for tissue engineering.
abstract: The physical properties of tissue engineering scaffolds such as microstructures play important roles in controlling cellular behaviors and neotissue formation. Among them, the pore size stands out as a key determinant factor. In the present study, we aimed to fabricate porous scaffolds with pre-defined hierarchical pore sizes, followed by examining cell growth in these scaffolds. This hierarchical porous microstructure was implemented via integrating different pore-generating methodologies, including salt leaching and thermal induced phase separation (TIPS). Specifically, large (L, 200-300 μm), medium (M, 40-50 μm) and small (S, <10 μm) pores were able to be generated. As such, three kinds of porous scaffolds with a similar porosity of ~90% creating pores of either two (LS or MS) or three (LMS) different sizes were successfully prepared. The number fractions of different pores in these scaffolds were determined to confirm the hierarchical organization of pores. It was found that the interconnectivity varied due to the different pore structures. Besides, these scaffolds demonstrated similar compressive moduli under dry and hydrated states. The adhesion, proliferation, and spatial distribution of human fibroblasts within the scaffolds during a 14-day culture were evaluated with MTT assay and fluorescence microscopy. While all three scaffolds well supported the cell attachment and proliferation, the best cell spatial distribution inside scaffolds was achieved with LMS, implicating that such a controlled hierarchical microstructure would be advantageous in tissue engineering applications.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, PR China.
authors.forename: Qingchun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Houyong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Zhaoyang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Wensong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Meidong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lang
mesh_terms: D019245:Compressive Strength / Q000187:drug effects; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010316:Particle Size; D044367:Phase Transition / Q000187:drug effects; D011091:Polyesters / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016062:Porosity; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011091:Polyesters; C016240:polycaprolactone