Preparation and biocompatibility of electrospun poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone)/fibrinogen blended nanofibrous scaffolds

Electrospun blended nanofibrous scaffolds were fabricated from an synthetic biodegradable polymer (poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone): PLCL; 8% solution) and a natural protein (fibrinogen; 100 mg/ml solution) with different volume ratios. Results showed that the blended scaffolds consisted of nanoscale fibers with mean diameters ranging from 224 to 450 nm. The deposition of the fibrinogen amino groups on the surfaces of the blended scaffolds was confirmed by XPS. The hydrophilicity of the blended scaffolds were improved with the fibrinogen content increasing in the blended system. Cell viability assay and SEM results showed that human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) had progressive growth and well spread morphology on the blended scaffolds. This study demonstrated that electrospun PLCL/fibrinogen blended scaffolds have potential application in tissue engineering. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.