Electrospun fiber constructs for vocal fold tissue engineering: effects of alignment and elastomeric polypeptide...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Vocal fold lamina propria extracellular matrix (ECM) is crucial for biomechanical properties but disorganized after injury.
• Tissue engineering aims to restore vocal fold function by replicating native ECM structure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of electrospun scaffold architecture and elastin-like polypeptide (ELP4) coating on human vocal fold fibroblast (HVFF) behavior.
• To assess the potential of these engineered scaffolds for vocal fold tissue repair.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of aligned and unaligned Tecoflex™ electrospun scaffolds.
• Characterization of scaffold biomechanics and surface properties.
• Seeding HVFFs on scaffolds, followed by analysis of cell viability, proliferation, morphology, and gene expression.

Main Results:

• Scaffold alignment significantly influenced HVFF orientation (p<0.001).
• ELP4 coating further enhanced cell alignment on scaffolds.
• Aligned scaffolds and ELP4 coating upregulated elastin synthesis without affecting collagen III synthesis.

Conclusions:

• Aligned electrospun scaffolds demonstrate potential for guiding cell behavior in vocal fold tissue engineering.
• ELP4 coating enhances the regenerative capacity of these scaffolds.
• These engineered constructs are promising for developing biodegradable vocal fold lamina propria substitutes.