Electrospun P(LLA-CL) nanofiber: a biomimetic extracellular matrix for smooth muscle cell and endothelial cell proliferation

Poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) [P(LLA-CL)] with L-lactide to epsilon-caprolactone ratio of 75 to 25 has been electrospun into nanofibers. The relationship between electrospinning parameters and fiber diameter has been investigated. The fiber diameter decreased with decreasing polymer concentration and with increasing electrospinning voltage. The X-ray diffractometer and differential scanning colorimeter results suggested that the electrospun nanofibers developed highly oriented structure in CL-unit sequences during the electrospinning process. The biocompatibility of the nanofiber scaffold has been investigated by culturing cells on the nanofiber scaffold. Both smooth muscle cell and endothelial cell adhered and proliferated well on the P(LLA-CL) nanofiber scaffolds. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.