Development of a novel collagen–GAG nanofibrous scaffold via electrospinning

Collagen and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) are native constituents of human tissues and are widely utilized to fabricate scaffolds serving as an analog of native extracellular matrix (ECM).The development of blended collagen and GAG scaffolds may potentially be used in many soft tissue engineering applications since the scaffolds mimic the structure and biological function of native ECM. In this study, we were able to obtain a novel nanofibrous collagen–GAG scaffold by electrospinning with collagen and chondroitin sulfate (CS), a widely used GAG. The electrospun collagen–GAG scaffold exhibited a uniform fiber structure in nano-scale diameter. By crosslinking with glutaraldehyde vapor, the collagen–GAG scaffolds could resist from collagenase degradation and enhance the biostability of the scaffolds. This led to the increased proliferation of rabbit conjunctiva fibroblast on the scaffolds. Incorporation of CS into collagen nanofibers without crosslinking did not increase the biostability but still promoted cell growth. In conclusion, the electrospun collagen–GAG scaffolds, with high surface-to-volume ratio, may potentially provide a better environment for tissue formation/biosynthesis compared with the traditional scaffolds.