Cyto-compatibility of Polyethersulphone Nanofibres Prepared by Gas-jet/Electrospinning

Polymeric nanofibres that mimic the structure and function of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) are produced by electrospinning and have attracted great interests in biomedical applications in the last several years. Electrospinning is an efficient process whereby polymeric nanofibres are formed in a high-voltage electrostatic field. Compared to the conventional electrospinning, the gas-jeUelectrospinning method can generate thinner and more uniform nanofibres with higher efficiency. Recently, polyethersulphone (PES) has drawn significant attention as a commercially available material with unique properties, which make it extremely suitable for fabrication of some biomedical materials. In this paper, the cyto-compatibility of a novel nanofibrous scaffold made of PES was examined by culturing human umbilical vein endothelial cells and rat osteoblasts. This scaffold was prepared by gas-jeUelectrospinning and was made up of ultrafine fibres with the average diameter 126 nm and wellinterconnected pores. Cell attachment and proliferation and cell-matrix interaction were assayed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) analysis, Vi CELL automated cell counter and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. The results of cell behaviour on the nanofibrous structure showed that both ECV-304 endothelial cells and osteoblasts adhered and proliferated well on the PES nanofibrous matrix. In addition, the cells maintained a normal phenotypic shape on the nanofibres. This may result from the cyto-compatibility of PES and the three-dimensional structure of electrospun nanofibres. Overall, these results strongly support the cyto-compatibility of the gas-jeUelectrospun PES nanofibrous structure and suggest potential uses of this biomaterial matrix as scaffolds for biomedical applications.