Enhanced Electroactive Phases of Poly(vinylidene Fluoride) Fibers for Tissue Engineering Applications

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Nanofibrous materials are crucial for tissue regeneration, especially bone reconstruction.
• Developing materials with piezoelectric properties similar to bone is a key goal in bone tissue engineering.
• Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is a piezoelectric polymer with potential for bone scaffold applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of PVDF molecular weight and electrospinning parameters on scaffold properties.
• To optimize PVDF nanofiber scaffolds for enhanced piezoelectricity and bone tissue engineering applications.
• To assess the cytocompatibility of PVDF scaffolds with human adipose-derived stromal cells.

Main Methods:

• Electrospinning of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) with varying molecular weights (180,000 g/mol and 530,000 g/mol).
• Systematic variation of electrospinning parameters: collector rotational speed, applied voltage, and solution flow rate.
• Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to analyze electroactive phase content.
• Assessment of scaffold diameter, piezoelectric coefficient, and cytocompatibility using human adipose-derived stromal cells.

Main Results:

• Higher PVDF molecular weight and increased collector rotational speed led to larger nanofiber diameters, higher electroactive phase content, and improved piezoelectric coefficients.
• Electrospinning parameters influenced electroactive phase content, with optimal results at 22 kV applied voltage and 0.8 mL/h flow rate.
• PVDF scaffolds demonstrated good cytocompatibility with human adipose-derived stromal cells, indicating potential for osteogenic differentiation.

Conclusions:

• Optimized PVDF nanofibrous scaffolds exhibit enhanced piezoelectric properties suitable for bone tissue engineering.
• PVDF molecular weight and electrospinning parameters are critical for tailoring scaffold characteristics.
• These PVDF scaffolds show promise as a biomaterial for bone regeneration and warrant further investigation.