Spray deposition of live cells throughout the electrospinning process produces nanofibrous three-dimensional tissue scaffolds

Abstract

Compared with traditional in-vitro cell culture materials, three-dimensional nanofibrous scaffolds provide a superior environment for promoting cell functions. Since nanofibrous scaffolds have nanometer pore sizes, cells are unable to penetrate on their own, so must be incorporated into the scaffold during fabrication to ensure proper cell distribution. In this study, biodegradable and cytocompatible poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanofibers were produced using an electrospinning process. As a model cell line, fibroblasts were periodically sprayed from a pump-action spray bottle onto the developing scaffold. The viability of cells before and after spraying, and also after incorporation into the scaffold, was compared. Results indicated that cell spraying and the scaffold fabrication process did not significantly reduce cell viability. These findings, thus, contribute to the understanding of how to produce more physiological relevant cell-seeded nanofibrous scaffolds, an important element for the future of nanotechnology and tissue engineering.

Keywords:

• nanomaterials
• tissue engineering
• PLGA
• nanotechnology

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the Indo-US Center for Biomaterials for Healthcare for funding and Dr Bikramjit Basu, Dr Dhirendra Katti, Poonam Sharma, and Neha Arya for electrospinning training and project support.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.