1 Department of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China .
Tissue Eng Part C Methods. 2013 Dec;19(12):925-36. doi: 10.1089/ten.TEC.2012.0328. Epub 2013 May 21.
Tissue engineering techniques using novel scaffolding materials offer potential alternatives for managing tendon disorders. An ideal tendon tissue engineered scaffold should mimic the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) of the native tendon. Here, we propose a novel electrospun nanoyarn network that is morphologically and structurally similar to the ECM of native tendon tissues. The nanoyarn, random nanofiber, and aligned nanofiber scaffolds of a synthetic biodegradable polymer, poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) [P(LLA-CL)], and natural collagen I complex were fabricated using electrospinning. These scaffolds were characterized in terms of fiber morphology, pore size, porosity, and chemical and mechanical properties for the purpose of culturing tendon cells (TCs) for tendon tissue engineering. The results indicated a fiber diameter of 632 ± 81 nm for the random nanofiber scaffold, 643 ± 97 nm for the aligned nanofiber scaffold, and 641 ± 68 nm for the nanoyarn scaffold. The yarn in the nanoyarn scaffold was twisted by many nanofibers similar to the structure and inherent nanoscale organization of tendons, indicating an increase in the diameter of 9.51 ± 3.62 μm. The nanoyarn scaffold also contained 3D aligned microstructures with large interconnected pores and high porosity. Fourier transform infrared analyses revealed the presence of collagen in the three scaffolds. The mechanical properties of the sample scaffolds indicated that the scaffolds had desirable mechanical properties for tissue regeneration. Further, the results revealed that TC proliferation and infiltration, and the expression of tendon-related ECM genes, were significantly enhanced on the nanoyarn scaffold compared with that on the random nanofiber and aligned nanofiber scaffolds. This study demonstrates that electrospun P(LLA-CL)/collagen nanoyarn is a novel, 3D, macroporous, aligned scaffold that has potential application in tendon tissue engineering.
使用新型支架材料的组织工程技术为治疗肌腱疾病提供了潜在的替代方法。理想的肌腱组织工程支架应模拟天然肌腱细胞外基质（ECM）的三维（3D）结构。在这里，我们提出了一种新型的电纺纳米纤维网络，其形态和结构类似于天然肌腱组织的 ECM。使用电纺技术制备了合成可生物降解聚合物聚（L-丙交酯-co-ε-己内酯）[P（LLA-CL）]和天然胶原蛋白 I 复合物的纳米纤维、随机纳米纤维和定向纳米纤维支架。从纤维形态、孔径、孔隙率以及化学和机械性能等方面对这些支架进行了表征，目的是培养肌腱细胞（TCs）进行肌腱组织工程。结果表明，随机纳米纤维支架的纤维直径为 632±81nm，定向纳米纤维支架的纤维直径为 643±97nm，纳米纤维支架的纤维直径为 641±68nm。纳米纤维支架中的纤维由许多类似于肌腱结构和固有纳米级组织的纳米纤维扭曲而成，表明直径增加了 9.51±3.62μm。纳米纤维支架还包含具有大互连孔和高孔隙率的 3D 定向微结构。傅里叶变换红外分析显示三种支架中均存在胶原蛋白。样品支架的机械性能表明，支架具有组织再生所需的理想机械性能。此外，结果表明与随机纳米纤维和定向纳米纤维支架相比，TC 增殖和浸润以及与肌腱相关的 ECM 基因的表达在纳米纤维支架上得到了显著增强。本研究表明，电纺 P（LLA-CL）/胶原蛋白纳米纤维是一种新型的 3D 大孔定向支架，在肌腱组织工程中有潜在的应用。
