Heterogeneous electrospun polycaprolactone/polyethylene glycol membranes with improved wettability, biocompatibility, and mineralization

• Published in: Colloids and surfaces. A, Physicochemical and engineering aspects Physicochemical and engineering aspects, 2017-05, Vol.520, p.105-113
• Main Authors: Tiwari, Arjun Prasad, Joshi, Mahesh Kumar, Lee, Joshua, Maharjan, Bikendra, Ko, Sung Won, Park, Chan Hee, Kim, Cheol Sang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Electro-spinning/netting; Heterogeneous; Polycaprolactone; Polyethylene glycol
• ISSN: 0927-7757; 1873-4359
• DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2017.01.054

[Display omitted] •Heterogeneous fibrous membrane was reported from PCL/PEG first time via electro-spinning/netting (ESN).•Heterogeneous membrane was consisting of thicker/backbone fibers and ultrathin nano-nets.•Hydrophilicity and mineralization were improved with incorporation of PEG into PCL fibers.•Heterogeneous scaffolds showed better support for cell activities. Polycaprolactone (PCL) based electrospun membranes possess many favorable characteristics such as flexibility, high mechanical properties, and non-toxicity, all of which are required for tissue engineering applications. However, their hydrophobic nature and low biocompatibility limit their uses. To overcome these drawbacks, we propose highly biocompatible and hydrophilic heterogeneous scaffolds from a blend of PCL with polyethylene glycol (PEG) that is composed of nano-nets along with backbone/main fibers via an electro-spinning/netting (ESN) technique. Different scaffolds were fabricated by varying the mass composition of PCL to PEG and evaluated physicochemically and biologically. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the PCL/PEG membranes were of a bimodal structure consisting of backbone/main fibers (diameter range=350–600nm) and ultrathin nano-nets while the pure PCL mat was composed of only backbone fibers (diameter range=550–800nm). The nano-nets were composed of ultrathin nano-wires with an average diameter of 10–20nm, shaped in a hexagonal form. We have also prepared the PCL/PEG membranes without nano-nets and compared them to heterogeneous membranes in order to describe the effect of the nano-nets by well distinguishing the effect of PEG on tissue engineering applications such as wettability, biocompatibility, and biomineralization. The results showed that heterogeneous scaffolds exhibit enhanced wettability, mechanical stability, biocompatibility, and mineralization compared to pure PCL and PCL/PEG scaffolds without nano-nets, which confirmed that the nano-nets in the membranes had positive effects for tissue engineering applications. Findings from this study have revealed that the heterogeneous fibrous membrane could be useful in the design and tailoring of a suitable structure as a scaffold for bone tissue engineering.