Fibrous poly(chitosan-g-DL-lactic acid) scaffolds prepared via electro-wet-spinning

DL-lactic acid was grafted onto chitosan to produce poly(chitosan-g-DL-lactic acid)(PCLA) copolymers. These PCLAs were then spun into submicron and/or nanofibers to fabricate scaffolds using an electro-wet-spinning technique. The diameter of fibers in different scaffolds could vary from about 100 nm to around 3 microm. The scaffolds exhibited various pore sizes ranging from about 1 microm to less than 30 microm and different porosities up to 80%. Two main processing parameters, that is, the concentration of PCLA solutions and the composition proportions of coagulation solutions, were optimized for obtaining desired scaffolds with well-controlled structures. The tensile properties of the scaffolds in both dry and hydrated states were examined. Significantly improved tensile strength and modulus for these fibrous scaffolds in their hydrated state were observed. The data collected from in vitro rabbit-fibroblast/scaffold culture showed that there were no substantial differences in the viability, density and distribution of cultured fibroblasts between PCLA scaffolds and pure chitosan scaffolds.