Electrospun poly(L-lactide-co-acryloyl carbonate) fiber scaffolds with a mechanically stable crimp structure for ligament tissue engineering.
The aim of this study was to prepare a fibrous scaffold that possesses a crimped morphology using a photo-cross-linkable biodegradable copolymer. To obtain the crimped morphology, the polymer was first electrospun onto a rotating wire mandrel to obtain aligned straight fibers. Postprocessing by immersion in aqueous buffer at 37 °C generated a crimplike pattern in the fibers. It was reasoned that cross-linking the fibers following formation of the crimped structure would endow the scaffolds with a recoverable crimp pattern and mechanical properties similar to that of the collagen fibers in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). To achieve this aim, a trimethylene carbonate based monomer bearing an acrylate pendant group was synthesized and copolymerized with l-lactide. The copolymer was electrospun and photo-cross-linked yielding fibrous scaffolds possessing a substantial increase in tensile modulus and crimp stability compared to the uncross-linked fibrous scaffolds. The crimp-stabilized scaffolds also showed good cytocompatibility toward 3T3 fibroblasts, which attached and grew along the crimped fibers. These findings suggest that these cross-linked fiber scaffolds may be useful for the generation of cultured ligament tissue.
Department of Chemical Engineering and Human Mobility Research Centre, Queen's University , Kingston, Canada.
Fei
F
Chen
James W S
JW
Hayami
Brian G
BG
Amsden
D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D015394:Molecular Structure; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D011091:Polyesters / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
D000180:Acrylic Resins; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D011091:Polyesters; C000595856:poly(lactide-co-acryloyl carbonate)