Electrospun polycaprolactone scaffolds under strain and their application in cartilage tissue engineering

Electrospinning is a promising fabrication method for three dimensional tissue engineering scaffolds due to its ability to produce a nano-/micro-sized non-woven fibrous structure which resembles the natural extracellular matrix. We investigated the mechanical behavior of two different electrospun microstructures. Polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers with or without "point-bonding" exhibited different deformation behaviors having significant biomedical consequences. While fibers with point-bonded structure failed due to the generation of voids by the fracture of fiber interconnections under strain, fibers without point-bonds produced a 'bamboo' structure with fiber joining visible at higher levels of strain. In addition, gelatin and PCL were electrospun and the residual solvent contents were systematically investigated. A simple and effective means of reducing residual solvent content was developed.; The interaction between these electrospun matrices and chondrocytic cells were compared to other topographies having the same chemistry. Electrospun polycaprolactone fibers supported better proliferation and extracellular matrix production than the corresponding semi-porous and dense surfaces and even, at some time points, glass surfaces. The intrinsic capability of electrospinning to produce high porosity appears to offset the relative hydrophobicity of polycaprolactone resulting in a more uniform cell seeding. Electrospun fibers induced a higher level of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) production by providing a 'dynamic scaffold' in which chondrocytes are able to maintain a morphology associated with the appropriate phenotype. Finally, based on this study, a method producing macro-pores within an electrospun scaffold was developed. With this method, not only can cellular infiltration into a thick electrospun scaffold be facilitated, but scaffolds having designed, anisotropic structures can be produced that better approximate the final tissue.