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Updated: Apr 23, 2026
Capillary Force Lithography for Cardiac Tissue Engineering
Published on: June 10, 2014
Biologically improved nanofibrous scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering
V Bhaarathy1, J Venugopal2, C Gandhimathi2
1Centre for Nanofibers & Nanotechnology, NUSNNI, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576, Singapore; Department of Nanoscience and Technology, School of Physical Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046, India; Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 138673, Singapore.
Researchers developed novel biocomposite nanofibers for cardiac tissue engineering. The Poly(l-lactic acid)-co-poly (ε-caprolactone), silk fibroin, and Aloe Vera (PLACL/SF/AV) scaffolds show enhanced cardiac cell proliferation and protein expression for myocardial infarction repair.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Regenerative Medicine
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Electrospun nanofibers mimic the extracellular matrix, supporting stem cell functions crucial for regenerative medicine.
- Biocomposite nanofibers offer tunable mechanical and functional properties for specific applications.
- Cardiac tissue engineering requires advanced scaffolds for myocardial infarction repair.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate and characterize novel biocomposite nanofibrous scaffolds using Poly(l-lactic acid)-co-poly (ε-caprolactone) (PLACL), silk fibroin (SF), and Aloe Vera (AV).
- To evaluate the potential of these PLACL/SF/AV scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering and myocardial infarction repair.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of PLACL, PLACL/SF, and PLACL/SF/AV nanofibrous scaffolds via electrospinning.
- Characterization using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for morphology and fiber diameter.
- Assessment of mechanical properties (elastic modulus) and surface wettability (contact angle).
- Evaluation of cardiac cell proliferation and expression of cardiac proteins (myosin, connexin 43).
Main Results:
- SEM revealed porous, uniform nanofibers with diameters ranging from 188 ± 16 nm (PLACL/SF/AV) to 459 ± 22 nm (PLACL).
- PLACL/SF/AV scaffolds exhibited significantly lower elastic modulus (7.0 ± 0.9 MPa) and contact angle (51 ± 12°) compared to PLACL (14.1 ± 0.7 MPa, 133 ± 15°).
- Cardiac cell proliferation increased by 42% on PLACL/SF/AV scaffolds by day 9, with enhanced expression of myosin and connexin 43.
Conclusions:
- The fabricated PLACL/SF/AV nanofibrous scaffolds possess desirable properties for flexible cell support.
- These scaffolds demonstrate significant potential for promoting cardiac cell growth and function.
- PLACL/SF/AV nanofibrous scaffolds show promise for the regeneration of infarcted myocardium in cardiac tissue engineering.
