Effect of Sterilization Methods on Electrospun Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) Fiber Alignment for Biomedical Applications

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Sterilization is critical for clinical applications of polymeric scaffolds.
• Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a common biomaterial for tissue engineering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of common sterilization methods on PLA electrospun fiber membranes.
• To determine the suitability of different sterilization techniques for clinical applications in regenerative medicine.

Main Methods:

• Electrospinning of PLA membranes with random and aligned fiber orientations.
• Sterilization using ultraviolet (UV) light, ethylene oxide (EO), and gamma radiation.
• Analysis of fiber morphology, alignment, crystallinity, wettability, and thermal/mechanical properties.
• In vitro cell culture studies with MG 63 osteoblastic cells.

Main Results:

• UV and gamma radiation maintained PLA fiber morphology and alignment.
• Ethylene oxide (EO) treatment altered fiber morphology to ribbon-like structures and increased crystallinity.
• UV and gamma radiation caused minimal changes in thermal/mechanical properties but increased wettability.
• Both UV and gamma radiation supported MG 63 cell adhesion and proliferation, sensitive to fiber alignment.

Conclusions:

• UV and gamma radiation are suitable sterilization methods for PLA scaffolds in regenerative medicine.
• Sterilization choice impacts scaffold properties and cell behavior.
• PLA membranes sterilized by gamma radiation show potential for clinical applications requiring specific morphology and alignment.