School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Griffith University - Gold Coast Campus, Griffith, Health Centre, G40_7.81, Parklands Drive, QLD 4222, Australia; Department of Engineering Materials and Mechanical Design, Faculty of Engineering, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Griffith University - Gold Coast Campus, Griffith, Health Centre, G40_7.81, Parklands Drive, QLD 4222, Australia.
Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl. 2018 Jan 1;82:10-18. doi: 10.1016/j.msec.2017.08.041. Epub 2017 Aug 12.
Polymer scaffolds produced through an electrospinning process are frequently explored as tissue substitutes for regenerative medicine. Despite offering desirable surface area to volume ratios and tailorable pore sizes, their poor structural mechanical properties limit their applicability in load-bearing regions. In this study, we present a simple strategy to improve the mechanical properties of a vascular graft scaffold. We achieved the formation of biphasic tubular scaffolds by electrospinning polyurethane (PU) onto an airbrushed tube made of polycaprolactone (PCL). After preparation, the scaffold was subsequently thermally-crosslinked (60°C) to strengthen the bonding between the two materials. The tensile strength and tensile elastic (Young's) modulus of the biphasic scaffolds were significantly enhanced from 4.5±1.72 and 45±15MPa (PU-only) up to 67.5±2.4 and 1039±81.8MPa (PCL/PU; p<0.05). Additionally, suture retention force, burst pressure, and compliance were all improved. The cytotoxicity of the fabricated samples was investigated using an MTT assay after 7days of cell culture and found to be negligible (~100% viability). In conclusion, we have demonstrated the preparation and characterization of a stable and mechanically robust vascular graft scaffold using a novel combination of well-established fabrication techniques. This study could also be extended to the fabrication of other biphasic scaffolds to better enhance the mechanical properties of the electrospun fibers mat without deteriorating its architecture structure.
通过静电纺丝工艺生产的聚合物支架经常被探索作为组织替代物用于再生医学。尽管它们具有理想的表面积与体积比和可调节的孔径，但它们较差的结构机械性能限制了它们在承重区域的应用。在本研究中，我们提出了一种简单的策略来改善血管移植物支架的机械性能。我们通过将聚氨酯（PU）静电纺丝到聚己内酯（PCL）制成的空气喷涂管上来形成双相管状支架。制备后，支架随后进行热交联（60°C）以增强两种材料之间的结合。双相支架的拉伸强度和拉伸弹性（杨氏）模量从仅 PU 的 4.5±1.72 和 45±15MPa 显著提高到 PCL/PU 的 67.5±2.4 和 1039±81.8MPa（p<0.05）。此外，缝合保持力、爆破压力和顺应性都得到了改善。在细胞培养 7 天后，通过 MTT 测定法研究了制备样品的细胞毒性，发现其可忽略不计（~100%活力）。总之，我们已经展示了使用一种新颖的、经过充分验证的制造技术组合来制备和表征稳定且机械性能强大的血管移植物支架。这项研究还可以扩展到其他双相支架的制造，以在不破坏其纤维结构的情况下更好地提高静电纺丝纤维垫的机械性能。
