Electrospun honeycomb as nests for controlled osteoblast spatial organization

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Developing advanced scaffolds is crucial for mimicking the native extracellular matrix.
• Controlling scaffold topography at the nanoscale influences cellular behavior and tissue regeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate honeycomb nanofibrous scaffolds using electrospinning with poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(D, L-lactic acid) (PLA).
• To investigate the impact of polymer fiber diameter distribution on scaffold topography and relief.
• To evaluate the influence of scaffold relief on MG63 osteoblast-like cell spatial organization.

Main Methods:

• Electrospinning of PCL and PLA onto micro-patterned collectors.
• Analysis of fiber diameter distribution and scaffold topography using microscopy.
• Biological evaluation of cell organization on PCL and PLA scaffolds.

Main Results:

• PLA scaffolds showed unimodal fiber distribution and flat topography.
• PCL scaffolds exhibited bimodal fiber distribution, leading to increased scaffold relief due to preferential fiber deposition.
• MG63 osteoblast-like cells organized within PCL honeycomb structures (80–360 µm), mimicking hemi-osteons.

Conclusions:

• Scaffold topography, specifically relief, significantly affects osteoblast-like cell spatial organization.
• PCL scaffolds with controlled bimodal fiber distribution can create biomimetic topographical cues for cellular guidance.
• These findings highlight the potential of electrospun PCL honeycomb scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.