Modified Bi-Layered Polycaprolactone Nanofiber Scaffolds for Vascular Tissue Engineering Applications

This paper examines the fabrication and characterization of modified nano/micro-fibrous polycaprolactone (PCL) bi-layered scaffolds for soft tissue replacement using the electrospinning technique. The bi-layered PCL scaffolds were coated with collagen to act as natural polymers with the aim of modifying the properties of these scaffolds. The morphological examination of these scaffolds shows a better alignment of fibers as well as other features, including a porous network. The improvement in mechanical, viscoelastic, thermal, morphological and biological properties due to the addition of collagen were investigated. The results show that the added collagen has insignificant effects on the thermal and physical behavior of the PCL scaffolds, while the mechanical properties and viscoelastic behavior improved significantly. Moreover, the results relating to the nano-fibrous scaffolds showed that the internal flexible tissue of human bone mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) attached at a higher rate onto the collagen coated PCL scaffolds compared to uncoated ones. The rate of proliferation and differentiation of hBMSCs was also higher on coated scaffolds than on uncoated ones. Consequently, nano-fibrous PCL scaffolds in combination with collagen may be good candidates for soft tissue replacement.