Given their ability to dictate initial cell alignment and subsequent matrix organization, aligned electrospun scaffolds are a fitting means for engineering fiber-reinforced, anisotropic tissues such as tendon, ligament, the knee meniscus, and the annulus fibrosus [1–4]. However, one commonly observed limitation of such scaffolds is the relatively slow infiltration rates of surface-seeded cells, where the central thicknesses of constructs cultured for 10 weeks remain devoid of cells [3]. This limitation arises from the tight packing of fibers which yields small pore sizes, thereby hampering cell migration. Towards accelerating cell ingress, we have recently reported on two-polymer composite scaffolds containing both slow eroding poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) fibers as well as water-soluble poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) fibers that serve as space holders during scaffold formation [5]. Removal of these PEO fibers prior to seeding resulted in improved cell infiltration after 3 weeks, but the long-term maturation of such constructs has yet to be characterized. To assess the effect of sacrificial PEO fiber content on construct growth, a triple-jet electrospinning device was employed to generate PCL/PEO scaffolds with PEO fiber fractions ranging from 0 to 60%. After seeding with human meniscus fibrochondrocytes (hMFCs), constructs were clamped in custom grips to maintain strip morphology. The mechanical and biochemical maturation of constructs was assessed over 12 weeks of free swelling culture in a chemically defined medium (CDM), along with cell infiltration and matrix distribution. We hypothesized that enhanced pore size in dual-fiber constructs would lead to not only to a better distribution of cells, but also to larger increases in stiffness resulting from enhanced matrix production and distribution.
Skip Nav Destination
ASME 2010 First Global Congress on NanoEngineering for Medicine and Biology
February 7–10, 2010
Houston, Texas, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- ASME Nanotechnology Council
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4392-5
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Engineering Dense Connective Tissues via Anisotropic Nanofibrous Scaffolds With High Sacrificial Fiber Content Available to Purchase
Brendon M. Baker,
Brendon M. Baker
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Search for other works by this author on:
Amy M. Silverstein,
Amy M. Silverstein
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Search for other works by this author on:
Robert L. Mauck
Robert L. Mauck
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Search for other works by this author on:
Brendon M. Baker
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Amy M. Silverstein
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Robert L. Mauck
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Paper No:
NEMB2010-13371, pp. 183-184; 2 pages
Published Online:
December 22, 2010
Citation
Baker, BM, Silverstein, AM, & Mauck, RL. "Engineering Dense Connective Tissues via Anisotropic Nanofibrous Scaffolds With High Sacrificial Fiber Content." Proceedings of the ASME 2010 First Global Congress on NanoEngineering for Medicine and Biology. ASME 2010 First Global Congress on NanoEngineering for Medicine and Biology. Houston, Texas, USA. February 7–10, 2010. pp. 183-184. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/NEMB2010-13371
Download citation file:
11
Views
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
Thermal Processing of Tissue Engineering Scaffolds
J. Heat Transfer (March,2011)
Synthetic Soft Tissue Characterization of the Mechanical Analogue Lumbar Spine
J. Med. Devices (June,2008)
Fabrication and Modeling of Dynamic Multipolymer Nanofibrous Scaffolds
J Biomech Eng (October,2009)
Related Chapters
The Thermo —Mechanical Analysis of Mechanical Packing (SEAL), Using Finite Element Method (FEM) — Results and Conclusions
International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Technology (ICMET-London 2011)
Natural Gas Transmission
Pipeline Design & Construction: A Practical Approach, Third Edition
Optimization of an Irregular 2D Packing Problem by a Genetic-Based Heuristic Algorithm
International Conference on Computer and Automation Engineering, 4th (ICCAE 2012)