Electrospun Composite Mats of Poly[(D,L-lactide)-co-glycolide] and Collagen with High Porosity as Potential Scaffolds for Skin Tissue Engineering

Electrospun composite mats of poly[(D,L-lactide)-co-glycolide] and collagen with high porosities of 85-90% and extended pore sizes of 90-130 mu m were prepared to mimic the ECM morphologically and chemically. The existence of collagen molecules on the fiber surface was confirmed, enabling the cells to find enhanced binding sites for their integrin receptors. The mechanical data for the blended fibrous mats indicated that they were sufficiently durable for dermal tissue engineering. Fibroblasts derived from GFP transgenic C57BL/6 mice were used to directly observe cell proliferation, and the inoculation of collagen enhanced cell attachment, proliferation and extracellular matrix secretion, which were found to be dependent on the amount of collagen in the composite scaffold.