Abstract
Poly(glycerol-sebacate) (PGS) and poly(epsilon caprolactone) (PCL) have been widely investigated for biomedical applications in combination with the electrospinning process. Among others, one advantage of this blend is its suitability to be processed with benign solvents for electrospinning. In this work, the suitability of PGS/PCL polymers for the fabrication of composite fibers incorporating bioactive glass (BG) particles was investigated. Composite electrospun fibers containing silicate or borosilicate glass particles (13-93 and 13-93BS, respectively) were obtained and characterized. Neat PCL and PCL composite electrospun fibers were used as control to investigate the possible effect of the presence of PGS and the influence of the bioactive glass particles. In fact, with the addition of PGS an increase in the average fiber diameter was observed, while in all the composite fibers, the presence of BG particles induced an increase in the fiber diameter distribution, without changing significantly the average fiber diameter. Results confirmed that the blended fibers are hydrophilic, while the addition of BG particles does not affect fiber wettability. Degradation test and acellular bioactivity test highlight the release of the BG particles from all composite fibers, relevant for all applications related to therapeutic ion release, i.e., wound healing. Because of weak interface between the incorporated BG particles and the polymeric fibers, mechanical properties were not improved in the composite fibers. Promising results were obtained from preliminary biological tests for potential use of the developed mats for soft tissue engineering applications.
Highlights
The fabrication of synthetic, biodegradable scaffolds able to mimic native features of extracellular matrix (ECM) is a significant challenge for soft and hard tissue engineering (TE) [1]
With the addition of PGS an increase in the average fiber diameter was observed, while in all the composite fibers, the presence of bioactive glass (BG) particles induced an increase in the fiber diameter distribution, without changing significantly the average fiber diameter
Degradation test and acellular bioactivity test highlight the release of the BG particles from all composite fibers, relevant for all applications related to therapeutic ion release, i.e., wound healing
Summary
The fabrication of synthetic, biodegradable scaffolds able to mimic native features of extracellular matrix (ECM) is a significant challenge for soft and hard tissue engineering (TE) [1]. The mechanical properties and degradation kinetics of PGS, which are relevant features for tissue engineering applications, can be tailored during the synthesis process by altering the molar ratio of glycerol and sebacic acid constituents, curing time and temperature. PGS can be blended with other polymers, either synthetic or natural [20] In this context, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), a semi-crystalline biocompatible, non-toxic, and degradable polymer, which has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for certain biomedical applications [21,22], is suitable to be processed by ES. The presence of specific ions in the BG, i.e., boron, has positive effects on the wound healing process [40] In this context, the aim of the present research work was to fabricate electrospun PCL/PGS composite fibrous structures incorporating silicate (composition 13-93) and borosilicate (labelled as 13-93BS) bioactive glass particles as inorganic component. The influence of fiber composition on the mechanical properties and degradation characteristics was assessed
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