Novel Organic Solvent Free Micro-/Nano-fibrillar, Nanoporous Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Novel organic solvent free micro-/nano-fibrillar composite scaffolds have been manufactured using poly(L-lactide) and glycol-modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) to evaluate cell growth potential on the nanoporous networks. The authors describe a method for producing nanoporous scaffolds from polymer blends and highlights some limitations and inaccuracies when measuring mechanical properties of fibrillar porous structures. It illustrates the importance of determining the actual cross-sectional surface area of the load resisting fibers rather than using the simple geometrical area if properties are to be determined accurately. Cellular-biocompatible testing with a mouse pre-osteoblastic (early bone-forming cells) cell line shows promise, with a live monolayer of cells present on the biomaterial after 7–10 days of culture. In addition, scaffolds have also been manufactured by using the traditional electrospinning method and their cyto-biocompatibility compared to the micro-/nano-fibrillar composite scaffolds, employing cell attachment and morphology studies. Some scaffold manufacturing issues have also been identified and discussed in relation to improved cell growth.