title: Electrospun collagen/poly(L-lactic acid-co-epsilon-caprolactone) hybrid nanofibrous membranes combining with sandwich construction model for cartilage tissue engineering.
abstract: Electrospinning has recently received much attention, showing great potential as a novel scaffold fabrication method for cartilage tissue engineering. In this study, we developed a biodegradable hybrid nanofibrous membrane of collagen and poly(L-lactic acid-co-epsilon-caprolactone) (PLCL, 75:25) by electrospinning for cartilage tissue engineering. The structure and cell affinity of collagen/PLCL membranes were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microscopy. The sandwiched cell-scaffold constructs were kept in culture for 1 week in vitro and then implanted subcutaneously into nude mice for 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Gross observation, histological and immunohistological evaluation, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) analysis and Young's modulus measurements were performed at each post-implantation time-point. Electrospun collagen/PLCL nanofibrous membranes could mimic the natural ECM and have good cell affinity. All the cell-scaffold constructs showed cartilage-like morphology with a white, smooth and glistening appearance after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of implantation. The abundance of GAG containing cartilaginous matrix appeared to increase greatly with implantation time. Furthermore, well-distributed cartilage and nearly no empty areas were observed in constructs even at 12 weeks post-implantation. In addition, the mechanical properties of the engineered cartilage after 12 weeks of implantation could reach 83% of that of native rabbit auricular cartilage. These results indicate that collagen/PLCL nanofibrous membranes with the sandwich construction model may serve as a new approach for cartilage tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 1678 Dong Fang Road, Shanghai 200127, China.
authors.forename: Xiaomin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhenling
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jinghao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002356:Cartilage; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry*; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D057139:Nanofibers; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011817:Rabbits; D023822:Tissue Engineering
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; C550605:poly(lactic acid-co-epsilon-caprolactone); D019344:Lactic Acid; C033616:poly(lactide); D003094:Collagen