Effect of Silk Fibroin Content on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Electrospun Poly(lactic acid)/Silk Fibroin Nanofibers for Meniscus Tissue Engineering Scaffold

Abstract

This study aims to produce composite nanofibers from polylactic acid (PLA) and silk fibroin (SF) with mechanical properties similar to that of a native meniscus. SF is a natural protein, well known for its good biocompatibility and biodegradability but it has poor mechanical properties compared to synthetic polymers. SF contains proteins which can promote cell adhesion and cell proliferation required for a tissue engineering scaffold. PLA is a popular material that is widely used in tissue engineering. It provides high mechanical properties but lacks bioactivity and cell affinity. Thus, a PLA/SF composite scaffold can improve these drawbacks. In this study, PLA/SF nanofibers were fabricated using an electrospinning process at various PLA and SF ratios (PLA: SF 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75). The SF content in the emulsion dominated the fiber diameter, fiber arrangement and processibility of nanofibrous scaffold. With increasing SF content, the %elongation at break of PLA/SF scaffold increased but Young’s modulus decreased. The wettability of electrospun PLA was increased with an increase in SF content.