Electrospun tecophilic/gelatin nanofibers with potential for small diameter blood vessel tissue engineering |
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| Authors: | Elham Vatankhah Molamma P Prabhakaran Dariush Semnani Shahnaz Razavi Mohammad Morshed Seeram Ramakrishna |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Textile Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran;2. Center for Nanofibers and Nanotechnology, E3‐05‐14, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, 2 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore;3. Department of Anatomical Sciences and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran;4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore |
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| Abstract: | Tissue engineering techniques particularly using electrospun scaffolds have been intensively used in recent years for the development of small diameter vascular grafts. However, the development of a completely successful scaffold that fulfills multiple requirements to guarantee complete vascular regeneration remains challenging. In this study, a hydrophilic and compliant polyurethane namely Tecophilic (TP) blended with gelatin (gel) at a weight ratio of 70:30 (TP(70)/gel(30)) was electrospun to fabricate a tubular composite scaffold with biomechanical properties closely simulating those of native blood vessels. Hydrophilic properties of the composite scaffold induced non‐thrombogenicity while the incorporation of gelatin molecules within the scaffold greatly improved the capacity of the scaffold to serve as an adhesive substrate for vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs), in comparison to pure TP. Preservation of the contractile phenotype of SMCs seeded on electrospun TP(70)/gel(30) was yet another promising feature of this scaffold. The nanostructured TP(70)/gel(30) demonstrated potential feasibility toward functioning as a vascular graft. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 101: 1165–1180, 2014. |
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| Keywords: | blood vessel nanofibrous tubular scaffold biomechanical properties blood compatibility smooth muscle cells |
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