A Nanofibrous Composite Scaffold of PCL/Hydroxyapatite-chitosan/PVA Prepared by Electrospinning

Tissue engineering scaffolds produced by electrospinning feature a structuralsimilarity with the natural extracellular matrices. In this study, for the first time,poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/hydroxyapatite (HA) and chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) were simultaneously electrospun from two different syringes and mixed on arotating drum to prepare homogeneous nanofibrous composite scaffold. Theconcentration of the spinning solutions and the ratios of PCL/HA-chitosan/PVA werevaried and adjusted to acquire nanofibres with narrow diameter distribution. It wasfound that the PCL/HA spun fibres became thick and non-uniform in diameter bydecreasing the solution concentration and voltage, and yet the effect of flow rate wasnegligible. Meanwhile, the diameters of chitosan/PVA fibres decreased and becamemore uniform by decreasing the solution concentration and tip-to-target distance.Furthermore, HA nanocrystals reinforce the scaffold and increase its mechanicalstrength, though by changing its mechanical behaviour make it more brittle. SEMmorphology of the PCL/HA electrospun nanocomposite revealed that HA nanocrystalswere kept suspended in solution during the electrospinning process, and laid inside thePCL nanofibres. This feature may provide a mechanism for controlled release of HAnanoparticles in cell culture studies. It was assumed that the nanofibrous compositescaffold of electrospun PCL/HA-chitosan/PVA can potentially be used for theosteogenic differentiation of stem cells.