Preparation and characterization of an electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) fibrous mat and multi-layered PCL scaffolds...

A method for fabrication of nanoscale surface patterns on electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers and melt-plotted PCL struts was developed. Physical patterns were achieved using selective plasma treatment in the presence of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template (800 nm). The nanoscale-patterned surfaces were evaluated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and topological analyses. The roughness (R_a) of the fabricated patterns on the electrospun PCL fiber surfaces was 716 ± 43 nm, while normally plasma-treated surfaces exhibited relatively low roughness (R_a = 126 ± 13 nm). To evaluate the feasibility of using a microfibrous PCL mat with a nanoscale-roughened surface as a biomedical scaffold, osteoblast-like cells (MG63) were cultured and analyzed using fluorescence analysis (live/dead and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)/phalloidin analyses), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity determination, and calcium deposition. The selectively plasma-treated PCL mats exhibited outstanding biological activities, such as cell proliferation and differentiation, compared with untreated PCL fibrous mats (control) and normally plasma-treated fibrous mats.