Fabrication of electrospun biocomposites comprising polycaprolactone/fucoidan for tissue regeneration

In this study, we designed a new biocomposite comprising electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL)/fucoidan, in which the fucoidan has various beneficial biological functions, including anticoagulant, antiviral, and immunomodulatory activity. To obtain the composite scaffolds, a mixture of PCL and fucoidan was electrospun using various compositions (1, 2, 3, and 10 wt.%) of fucoidan powders. The resultant electrospun composites exhibited improved tensile modulus and strength for limited weight fractions (<10 wt.%) of fucoidan when compared with the pure PCL fiber mats. In addition, the biocomposites showed dramatic hydrophilic properties at >3 wt.% of fucoidan in the PCL/fucoidan. The biocompatibility of the electrospun mats was examined in vitro using osteoblast-like cells (MG63). Total protein content, alkaline phosphatase activity, and calcium mineralization were assessed. Scanning electron microscopic images showed that the cells were distributed more widely and were agglomerated on PCL/fucoidan mats compared with pure PCL mats. In addition, total protein content, alkaline phosphatase activity, and calcium mineralization were higher with PCL/fucoidan mats than with pure PCL mats. These observations suggest that fucoidan-supplemented biocomposites would make excellent materials for tissue-engineering applications.