Cellular proliferation in 3D Tissue Engineering scaffolds made of polymeric nano-fibers

Abstract

The extracellular matrix, a component of all animal tissues, is required for cell adhesion, migration and proliferation to provide support to the regulation of cellular activity. The extracellular matrix acts as a reservoir of hormones, growth factors, and intercellular communication medium. In Tissue Engineering, a number of techniques are utilized, namely the electrospinning of polymeric nanofibers, for the production of biodegradable porous 3D scaffolds that attempt to mimic the native extracellular matrix structure. This work proposes to investigate the impact that the combination of the application of poly(ethylene oxide) sacrificial fibers with sucrose as a porogenic agent has on the ability of cellular infiltration inside a porous 3D matrix made of polycaprolactone and gelatine. The characterization of the structural and physicochemical properties of the fabricated scaffolds was made. Structural characterization was performed by means of optical and electronic microscopy. In order to understand the physicochemical characteristics, mechanical tensile tests, mass loss, infrared spectroscopy and fluorescence assays were conducted. The interpretation of these results revealed fibers with morphology comparable to the native extracellular matrix, scaffolds with good mechanical properties and good reproducibility. In vitro assays revealed that the models provide good cell adhesion and proliferation.