Bioresorbable elastomeric vascular tissue engineering scaffolds via melt spinning and electrospinning

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Cardiovascular Engineering
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Current bypass grafting for small vessels (<6mm) uses autologous grafts with limitations like occlusion and intimal hyperplasia.
• Cardiovascular biomaterials research aims to create tissue-engineered blood vessel substitutes to overcome these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and evaluate vascular tissue engineering scaffolds using melt spinning and electrospinning techniques.
• To compare scaffolds produced from different solvents (acetone, hexafluoroisopropanol) for morphology, mechanical properties, and cell viability.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of small-diameter tubes (5mm) from a 50:50 poly(l-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) copolymer with >75% porosity.
• Utilized melt spinning and electrospinning techniques, including a combined approach for double-layered scaffolds.
• Assessed scaffold morphology, mechanical properties (transverse tensile strength), and cell viability.

Main Results:

• The fabricated prototype tubes demonstrated mechanical properties superior to natural arteries of similar caliber.
• Combined melt spinning and electrospinning successfully produced double-layered scaffolds with macrofibers and submicron fibers.
• Scaffolds exhibited high porosity (>75%) suitable for tissue integration.

Conclusions:

• The developed vascular scaffolds show potential as substitutes for autologous grafts in bypass surgery.
• Combining melt spinning and electrospinning offers a promising strategy for creating complex, multilayered vascular constructs.
• Further research is needed to address challenges in replicating the native vascular wall's architecture and properties for clinical success.