Novel biomimetic fiber incorporated scaffolds for tissue engineering

From a structural perspective, an ideal scaffold ought to possess interconnected macro pores with sizes from 10 to 100 μm to facilitate cell infiltration and tissue formation, as well as similar topography to the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) which would have an impact on cell behavior such as cell adhesion and gene expression. For that purpose, here we developed a fabrication process to incorporate electrospun short fibers within freeze-dried scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Briefly, PCL short fibers were first produced from electrospun fibers with ultrasonication method. They were then evenly dispersed in gelatin solution and freeze-dried to obtain fiber incorporated scaffolds. The resulting scaffolds exhibited hierarchical structure including major pores with sizes ranging from 50 to 150 μm and the short fibers dispersed in the thin walls of major pores, mimicking the fibrous feature of natural ECM. The short fibers were proven to modify the mechanical properties of scaffold and to facilitate cell adhesion and proliferation on the scaffold. As a promising scaffold for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, the fiber incorporated scaffold may have further biomedical applications, in which the short fibers can act as drug release vehicles for growth factors or other biomolecules to promote vascularization.