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Electrospinning Growth Factor Releasing Microspheres into Fibrous Scaffolds
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Sustained Release of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF) Encapsulated Polycaprolactone (PCL) Microspheres Promote

Pala Arunkumar1, Julie A Dougherty1, Jessica Weist1

  • 1Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.

Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 24, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Polycaprolactone microspheres successfully delivered basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for 30 days, promoting angiogenesis and cell survival. This bFGF-PCL-MS formulation shows promise for treating myocardial infarction.

Area of Science:

  • Biomaterials Engineering
  • Cardiovascular Research
  • Regenerative Medicine

Background:

  • Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading global cause of mortality.
  • Myocardial infarction (MI) treatment strategies focus on preserving cardiac function using growth factors.
  • Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) exhibits angiogenic potential but suffers from poor clinical efficacy due to short half-life and low stability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop bFGF-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL) microspheres (bFGF-PCL-MS) for sustained bFGF release.
  • To evaluate the angiogenic potential of bFGF-PCL-MS both in vitro and in vivo.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of bFGF-PCL-MS using emulsion solvent-evaporation method.
  • In vitro assessment of bFGF release kinetics over 30 days.
  • In vitro evaluation of HUVEC proliferation, migration, and angiogenic gene expression.
  • In vivo assessment of angiogenic potential in a rat Matrigel plug assay.

Main Results:

  • bFGF-PCL-MS exhibited spherical morphology (4.21 ± 1.28 µm) and sustained bFGF release for up to 30 days.
  • In vitro studies demonstrated enhanced HUVEC proliferation, migration, and increased expression of angiogenic genes (bFGF, VEGFA).
  • In vivo assays confirmed increased expression of angiogenic markers, validating the angiogenic potential of bFGF-PCL-MS.

Conclusions:

  • Sustained release of bFGF from PCL microspheres enhances angiogenic properties.
  • bFGF-PCL-MS represent a promising strategy for promoting angiogenesis and cell survival post-myocardial infarction.
  • This formulation could improve therapeutic outcomes for patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Keywords:
angiogenesisbasic fibroblast growth factorheart diseasemicrospherespolycaprolactone

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