In vitro degradation and cell attachment studies of a new electrospun polymeric tubular graft

Electrospinning technique was utilized to engineer a small-diameter (id = 4 mm) tubular graft. The tubular graft was made from biocompatible and biodegradable polymers polycaprolactone (PCL) and poliglecaprone with 3:1 (PCL:PGC) ratio. Enzymatic degradation effect on the mechanical properties and fiber morphology in the presence of lipase enzyme were observed. Significant changes in tensile strength (1.86-1.49 MPa) and strain (245-205 %) were noticed after 1 month in vitro degradation. The fiber breakage was clearly evident through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after 4 weeks in vitro degradation. Then, the graft was coated with a collagenous protein matrix to impart bioactivity. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and aortic artery smooth muscle cells (AoSMCs) attachment on the coated graft were observed in static condition. Further, HUVECs were seeded on the lumen surface of the grafts and exposed to laminar shear stress for 12 h to understand the cell attachment. The coated graft was aged in PBS solution (pH 7.3) at 37 °C for 1 month to understand the coating stability. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) suggested the erosion of the protein matrix from the coated graft under in vitro condition.