Potential of Electrospun Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/Collagen Blends for Tissue Engineering Applications

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a biodegradable polymer with potential in biomedical applications.
• Type I collagen (Coll) is a key structural protein in the extracellular matrix, crucial for tissue regeneration.
• Electrospinning is a versatile technique for fabricating nonwoven fibrous mats with tunable properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create tunable nonwoven mats by electrospinning poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and type I collagen (Coll).
• To investigate the effect of varying PHB/Coll weight ratios on the mats' morphological, thermal, mechanical, and degradation characteristics.
• To evaluate the cytocompatibility of the PHB/Coll mats for tissue engineering applications.

Main Methods:

• Electrospinning of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and type I collagen (Coll) at different weight ratios (100/0, 70/30, 50/50).
• Characterization of fiber morphology (diameter), thermal properties (decomposition temperature), mechanical properties (stiffness, elastic modulus), and hydrolytic degradation.
• Assessment of murine fibroblast viability and proliferation on the fabricated mats over 6 days.

Main Results:

• Increasing collagen content resulted in larger fiber diameters (600-900 nm) and delayed thermal decomposition (245°C to 262°C).
• Collagen incorporation accelerated hydrolytic degradation due to increased wettability and reduced PHB crystallinity, with weight losses up to 23%.
• The 70/30 PHB/Coll ratio exhibited the lowest stiffness (~116 MPa), while the 50/50 ratio showed comparable stiffness to pure PHB (~250 MPa) due to collagen crosslinking.
• All fabricated mats supported good murine fibroblast viability and proliferation for up to 6 days.

Conclusions:

• Tunable nonwoven mats composed of PHB and collagen can be successfully fabricated via electrospinning.
• The PHB/Coll ratio significantly influences the material's properties, offering a means to tailor them for specific tissue engineering needs.
• The developed PHB/Coll meshes demonstrate excellent cytocompatibility and hold promise for various tissue engineering applications.