Bead-free and tough electrospun PCL/gelatin/PGS ternary nanofibrous scaffolds for tissue engineering application

Poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) is a biodegradable and biocompatible polyester that is increasingly used in the biomedical field. Herein, a novel ternary poly(epsilon-caprolactone)/gelatin/PGS (PCL/gelatin/PGS) blend nanofibers were designed and fabricated with a wide range of chemical compositions, mechanical properties, and modulated degradability levels. PGS blends with gelatin are commonly used for enhancing electrospinability but their low-mechanical properties, lack of structural stability in an aqueous medium, and unmodulated degradation behavior limited their application. Blending PGS and gelatin with PCL could improve their properties in a ternary structure. In addition, considering ternary blends of PCL/gelatin/PGS, an enhancement of hydrophilicity due to the presence of gelatin in the system is expected, resulting in better biocompatibility and controlled biodegradation. By increasing the polymer concentration, voltage, and distance of the needle to the collector, the bead-free electrospun nanofibers were obtained. The ternary blend nanofibers with an equal weight ratio of polymers, T33 (containing 33 wt% PGS, 33 wt% gelatin, and 33 wt% PCL), possess more than a 4-fold increase in tensile strength (7 MPa) and 89-fold increase in elongation at break (1760.6%) compared to gelatin/PGS binary nanofibers. In vitro studies on glioma cells showed well attachment and proliferation of C6 glioma cells. The obtained results demonstrated the potential of these scaffolds for nerve tissue engineering applications.

Automated summary

The ternary blend nanofibers of PCL/gelatin/PGS show enhanced hydrophilicity and improved mechanical properties, with potential applications in nerve tissue engineering. By optimizing the polymer concentration, voltage, and electrospinning parameters, bead-free nanofibers can be obtained. The inclusion of gelatin in the ternary blend enhances biocompatibility and controlled degradation, showing promising results in in vitro studies on glioma cells.