Electrospun polycaprolactone fibers for bone scaffolding application

Abstract

Electrospun (e-spun) fiber mats of polycaprolactone (PCL; Mn = 80,000) with or without calcium carbonate (CaCO3) or hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles (i.e. E-PCL, E-PCL/CaCO3, and E-PCL/HAp) were successfully fabricated. Indirect cytotoxicity evaluation of these e-spun mats revealed that these mats posed no threats to the cells. The potential use of the e-spun fiber mats as bone scaffolds was evaluated in vitro with human osteosarcoma cells (SaOS2) and mouse calvaria-derived. pre-osteoblastic cells (MC3T3-E1). For SaOS2 cells, E-PCL, E-PCL/CaCO3, and E-PCL/HAp were evaluated in evaluated in terms of attachment, proliferation, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of the cells that were cultured on the scffolds. The results were compared with those on corresponding solution-cast film scaffolds and tissue-culture polystyrene plate (TCPS). All of the e-spun fiber mats promoted much better adhesion and proliferation of cells than the corresponding film scaffolds and TCPS. E-PCL/HAp (1.0% w/v HAp) showed the highest ALP activity. For MC3T3-E1 cells, E-PCL and E-PCL/HAp were evaluated in terms of attachment, proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization of the cells that were cultured on the scaffolds. The results were compared with those of TCPS. The greater expression for both the osteocalcin (OC) gene and the OC protein on days 14 and 21, respectively, of MC3T3E1 after being cultured on E-PCL/HAp than that on E-PCL and TCPS was apparent, as this leads to the greatest amount of mineralization observed on day 21 for the cells grown on E-PCL/HAp, followed by that for the cells grown on E-PCL and TCPS, respectively.