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Evaluation of physicochemical properties of polycaprolactone/gelatin/polydimethylsiloxane hybrid nanofibers as potential scaffolds for elastic tissue engineering

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Abstract

Hybrid polymers have been used as biomaterials for tissue engineering recently. In this study, the hybrid fibrous scaffolds of polycaprolactone (PCL), gelatin (G) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with two various types of fiber arrangement were fabricated with different mass ratio by electrospinning. Physicochemical properties of fabricated scaffolds were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, the immersion of scaffold samples, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction and tensile strength analysis. Cytotoxicity analyses of scaffolds and human foreskin fibroblasts on the scaffolds were assessed by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazoyl-2-yl) 2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Attachment to the scaffolds and morphology of fibroblasts on them were evaluated by hematoxylin–eosin staining and scanning electron microscopy. Networks and nanofibers less than 30 nm were created throughout the normal nanofibers of PCL/G/PDMS hybrid scaffolds that the efficiency of the homing and proliferation of the fibroblasts cells onto the scaffolds was improved. The PCL/G/PDMS hybrid scaffolds characteristics, especially morphology, mechanical properties and biocompatibility by altering the ratio PCL, G and PDMS show that these scaffolds are suitable for random and aligned tissue engineering applications, especially engineering of elastic tissues (nerve, uterus, bladder, trachea, heart valves, vein, vagina, liver, skin and others).

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Iran national science foundation (INSF; Project No. 97014466), Yazd University Research Council and Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute for their financial support. We are grateful to Dr. Behrouz Aflatoonian and Fatemeh Sadeghian-Nodoushan for their cooperation and technical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Textile Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

    Mahdieh Dehghan & Mohammad Khajeh Mehrizi

  2. Medical Nanotechnology and Tissue Engineering Research Center, Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

    Mahdieh Dehghan & Habib Nikukar

  3. Department of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, School of Paramedicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

    Habib Nikukar

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Dehghan, M., Nikukar, H. & Khajeh Mehrizi, M. Evaluation of physicochemical properties of polycaprolactone/gelatin/polydimethylsiloxane hybrid nanofibers as potential scaffolds for elastic tissue engineering. Polym. Bull. 79, 10881–10908 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-021-04071-4

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