Novel Nanostructured Scaffolds of Poly(butylene trans-1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate)-Based Copolymers with Tailored Hydrophilicity and Stiffness: Implication for Tissue Engineering Modeling

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2023-08, Vol.13 (16), p.2330
• Main Authors: Guidotti, Giulia, Soccio, Michelina, Argentati, Chiara, Luzi, Francesca, Aluigi, Annalisa, Torre, Luigi, Armentano, Ilaria, Emiliani, Carla, Morena, Francesco, Martino, Sabata, Lotti, Nadia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Biocompatibility; Biomedical materials; Carboxylic acids; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell culture; Cell proliferation; Chemical synthesis; Contact angle; Copolymers; Cyclohexane; electrospun scaffolds; ether linkages; flexibility; Hydrophilicity; Hydrophobicity; Mechanical properties; Mesenchymal stem cells; Methods; Modulus of elasticity; Molecular weight; Morphology; Nanostructure; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Oxygen atoms; poly(butylene trans-1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate); Polybutylene; Polymer films; Polymers; Properties; Scaffolds; Software; Spectrum analysis; Stiffness; Stromal cells; Structure; Tissue engineering; Wettability
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano13162330

Here, we present novel biocompatible poly(butylene trans-1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate) (PBCE)-based random copolymer nanostructured scaffolds with tailored stiffness and hydrophilicity. The introduction of a butylene diglycolate (BDG) co-unit, containing ether oxygen atoms, along the PBCE chain remarkably improved the hydrophilicity and chain flexibility. The copolymer containing 50 mol% BDG co-units (BDG50) and the parent homopolymer (PBCE) were synthesized and processed as electrospun scaffolds and compression-molded films, added for the sake of comparison. We performed thermal, wettability, and stress–strain measures on the PBCE-derived scaffolds and films. We also conducted biocompatibility studies by evaluating the adhesion and proliferation of multipotent mesenchymal/stromal cells (hBM-MSCs) on each polymeric film and scaffold. We demonstrated that solid-state properties can be tailored by altering sample morphology besides chemical structure. Thus, scaffolds were characterized by a higher hydrophobicity and a lower elastic modulus than the corresponding films. The three-dimensional nanostructure conferred a higher adsorption protein capability to the scaffolds compared to their film counterparts. Finally, the PBCE and BDG50 scaffolds were suitable for the long-term culture of hBM-MSCs. Collectively, the PBCE homopolymer and copolymer are good candidates for tissue engineering applications.