Augmented physico-chemical, crystalline, mechanical, and biocompatible properties of electrospun polyurethane titanium dioxide composite patch for cardiac tissue engineering

Although there is enormous growth in the technology for cardiovascular applications, remodeling of the damaged cardiac tissue is still a daunted task. Polymeric scaffold could be able to regenerate the human cardiomyocytes which facilitate the remodeling of the cardiac damage. The objective of the study is to fabricate polyurethane (PU) cardiac patch added with titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofibers using electrospinning technique. The morphological investigation demonstrated the reduced fiber (666 +/- 155 nm) and pore diameter (862 +/- 75 nm) of the fabricated nanocomposite compare with the pristine PU (fiber diameter - 890 +/- 117 nm and pore diameter - 1,064 +/- 74 nm). Field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM), infrared (IR) spectrum, and thermal analysis confirmed the existence of titanium dioxide in the pristine PU. The wettability study showed the hydrophobic behavior (109 degrees +/- 1.53 degrees) of electrospun PU/titanium dioxide nanocomposites than the pristine PU (100 degrees +/- 0.58 degrees). X-ray diffraction (XRD) study denoted the crystalline behavior of the pristine PU with the addition of titanium dioxide. Tensile (19.48 MPa) and surface (425 nm [Ra]) testing indicated that the addition of titanium dioxide improved the mechanical and surface roughness of the pristine PU (tensile strength - 7.12 MPa and roughness - 313 nm). The coagulation and cytotoxicity study depicted the enhanced anticoagulant behavior and improved cell viability of the developed nanocomposites than the PU. Hence, the developed novel patch exhibiting better physico-chemical characteristics, enhanced blood compatibility parameters, and good cell viability rates hold to be a promising candidate for cardiac tissue repair. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:3758-3767, 2019. (c) 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers