Nanofibrous chitosan-polyethylene oxide engineered scaffolds: a comparative study between simulated structural...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Tissue Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• 3D nanofibrous scaffolds are crucial for tissue regeneration.
• Chitosan-polyethylene oxide (PEO) blends offer promising biocompatibility.
• Controlling scaffold architecture is key to optimizing cellular response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of electrospinning parameters on 3D chitosan-PEO scaffold architecture.
• To correlate scaffold structural characteristics with fibroblast cell viability and attachment.
• To optimize scaffold design for enhanced cellular infiltration and function.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of 3D nanofibrous chitosan-PEO scaffolds using electrospinning.
• Image analysis for simulating structural characteristics (pore size, porosity, interconnectivity, SPE).
• Culturing mouse fibroblast cells (L929) on scaffolds and assessing cell attachment and viability.

Main Results:

• Enhanced cell attachment and viability (50-110%) observed even in densely packed scaffolds.
• Larger fiber diameters and pore sizes positively correlated with increased cell viability.
• Increased overall porosity and interconnectivity (due to smaller fiber/pore size) reduced cell viability.
• Electrospinning parameter manipulation can overcome negative effects of packed morphologies.

Conclusions:

• Scaffold structural characteristics significantly influence cell viability.
• Optimizing fiber and pore size is critical for enhancing cell infiltration and attachment in chitosan-PEO scaffolds.
• Electrospinning offers tunable control over scaffold architecture for improved biomaterial performance in regenerative medicine.