Mammalian cell viability in electrospun composite nanofiber structures

Incorporation of mammalian cells into nanofibers (cell electrospinning) and multilayered cell-nanofiber structures (cell layering) via electrospinning are promising techniques for tissue engineering applications. We investigate the viability of 3T3-L1 mouse fibroblasts after incorporation into poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibers and multilayering with poly(caprolactone) nanofibers and analyze the possible factors that affect cell viability. We observe that cells do not survive cell electrospinning but survive cell layering. Assessing the factors involved in cell electrospinning, we find that dehydration and fiber stretching are the main causes of cell death. In cell layering, the choice of solvent is critical, as residual solvent in the electrospun fibers could be detrimental to the cells.