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Poly(l-lactide-co-caprolactone)/tussah silk fibroin nanofiber vascular scaffolds with small diameter fabricated by core-spun electrospinning technology

  • Polymers & biopolymers
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Abstract

A biomimetic vascular scaffold with excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility is urgently needed, and designing such a scaffold is a challenge. The majority of vascular scaffolds have satisfactory biocompatibility, but poor mechanical properties. Herein, biodegradable poly(l-lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLCL) with biomimetic mechanical properties was used to prepare small-diameter (< 1.5 mm) PLCL/tussah silk fibroin (TSF) nanofiber vascular scaffolds grafted with TSF using the core-spun electrospinning technology. The morphology, biocompatibility, and mechanical properties of the PLCL/TSF nanofiber vascular scaffolds were characterized. The diameter of PLCL/TSF nanofibers was almost unchanged after grafting TSF with an average diameter of 408 ± 13 nm and a reduced water contact angle of 56 ± 8°. The protein adsorption was twice that of pure PLCL nanofiber vascular scaffolds. Remarkably, PLCL/TSF nanofiber vascular scaffolds displayed excellent mechanical properties. Their radial tensile strength and axial Young’s modulus were twice and more than three times those of traditional nanofiber vascular scaffolds, respectively. The biological properties of PLCL/TSF nanofiber vascular scaffolds were evaluated by in vitro culture of vascular endothelial cells. The scaffolds effectively promoted vascular endothelial cell adhesion and proliferation. The developed PLCL/TSF nanofiber vascular scaffolds are potentially valuable for use as readily available vascular grafts.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51803244) and Key Scientific and Technological Research Projects in Henan Provinces (Grant Nos. 182102310862 and 182102210127). Apparel Council Scientific and Technological Guiding Projects (Grant Nos. 2018018 and 2017036), Key Scientific Research Projects of Higher Education Institutions in Henan Province (Grant Nos. 19B540001 and 18A540002), and Youth talent support project of Henan Province of China (2020HYTP032) are also gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Textile Materials, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450007, China

    Fan Liu, Xi Liao, Chunhui Liu, Mengying Li, Yuankun Chen, Weili Shao, Kai Weng, Fang Li, Kangkang Ou & Jianxin He

  2. College of Textile, Zhongyuan University of Technology, P.O. Box 110, 41 Zhongyuan Road, Zhengzhou City, 450007, Henan Province, China

    Xi Liao, Chunhui Liu, Mengying Li, Yuankun Chen, Kai Weng, Fang Li & Jianxin He

  3. School of Materials, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

    Fan Liu

  4. Collaborative Innovation Center of Textile and Garment Industry, Zhengzhou, 450007, Henan Province, China

    Xi Liao, Chunhui Liu, Mengying Li, Yuankun Chen, Weili Shao, Kai Weng, Fang Li, Kangkang Ou & Jianxin He

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  1. Fan Liu
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  2. Xi Liao
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Contributions

FL and WS conceived and designed the experiment. XL and CL performed the experiments. XL and ML designed the electrospinning devices and conducted SEM inspection. XL and KO contributed to data analysis about cell behavior. KW and FL contributed to data analysis about mechanical properties. XL wrote the paper.

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Correspondence to Weili Shao or Jianxin He.

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10853_2020_4510_MOESM1_ESM.doc

Illustration of the method used to measure tensile properties. SEM image, Highly magnified SEM image, and Fiber diameter distribution of PLCL nanofibers and PLCL/TSF nanofibers. Schematic diagram of traditional nanofiber vascular scaffold and core-spun yarn nanofiber vascular scaffold. (DOC 2702 kb)

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Liu, F., Liao, X., Liu, C. et al. Poly(l-lactide-co-caprolactone)/tussah silk fibroin nanofiber vascular scaffolds with small diameter fabricated by core-spun electrospinning technology. J Mater Sci 55, 7106–7119 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-020-04510-z

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