Fabrication of hybrid scaffolds obtained from combinations of PCL with gelatin or collagen via electrospinning for skeletal muscle tissue engineering

Victor Perez-Puyana, Paul Wieringa, Yaiza Yuste, Fernando de la Portilla, Antonio Guererro, Alberto Romero, Lorenzo Moroni*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The creation of skeletal muscle tissue in vitro is a major topic of interest today in the field of biomedical research, due to the lack of treatments for muscle loss due to traumatic accidents or disease. For this reason, the intrinsic properties of nanofibrillar structures to promote cell adhesion, proliferation, and cell alignment presents an attractive tool for regenerative medicine to recreate organized tissues such as muscle. Electrospinning is one of the processing techniques often used for the fabrication of these nanofibrous structures and the combination of synthetic and natural polymers is often required to achieve optimal mechanical and physiochemical properties. Here, polycaprolactone (PCL) is selected as a synthetic polymer used for the fabrication of scaffolds, and the effect of protein addition on the final scaffolds' properties is studied. Collagen and gelatin were the proteins selected and two different concentrations were analyzed (2 and 4 wt/vol%). Different PCL/protein systems were prepared, and a structural, mechanical and functional characterization was performed. The influence of fiber alignment on the properties of the final scaffolds was assessed through morphological, mechanical and biological evaluations. A bioreactor was used to promote cell proliferation and differentiation within the scaffolds. The results revealed that protein addition produced a decrease in the fiber size of the membranes, an increase in their hydrophilicity, and a softening of their mechanical properties. The biological study showed the ability of the selected systems to harbor cells, allow their growth and, potentially, develop musculoskeletal tissues.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1600-1612
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A
Volume109
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2021

Keywords

  • collagen
  • electrospinning
  • PCL
  • scaffolds
  • skeletal muscle cells

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