Electrospinning vs. Electro-Assisted Solution Blow Spinning for Fabrication of Fibrous Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering.

Biodegradable polymeric fibrous non-woven materials are widely used type of scaffolds for tissue engineering. Their morphology and properties could be controlled by composition and fabrication technology. This work is aimed at development of fibrous scaffolds from a multicomponent polymeric system containing biodegradable synthetic (polylactide, polycaprolactone) and natural (gelatin, chitosan) components using different methods of non-woven mats fabrication: electrospinning and electro-assisted solution blow spinning. The effect of the fabrication technique of the fibrous materials onto their morphology and properties, including the ability to support adhesion and growth of cells, was evaluated. The mats fabricated using electrospinning technology consist of randomly oriented monofilament fibers, while application of solution blow spinning gave a rise to chaotically arranged multifilament fibers. Cytocompatibility of all fabricated fibrous mats was confirmed using in vitro analysis of metabolic activity, proliferative capacity and morphology of NIH 3T3 cell line. Live/Dead assay revealed the formation of the highest number of cell-cell contacts in the case of multifilament sample formed by electro-assisted solution blow spinning technology.

Poly(ε-caprolactone) Scaffolds Doped with c-Jun N-terminal Kinase Inhibitors Modulate Phagocyte Activation.

The modulation of phagocyte responses is essential for successful performance of biomaterials in order to prevent negative outcomes associated with inflammation. Herein, we developed electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds doped with the novel potent c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitors 11H-indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-one oxime (IQ-1) and 11H-indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-one O-(O-ethylcarboxymethyl) oxime(IQ-1E) as a promising approach for modulating phagocyte activation. Optimized electrospinning parameters allowed us to produce microfiber composite materials with suitable mechanical properties. We found that embedded compounds were bound to the polymer matrix via hydrophobic interactions and released in two steps, with release mostly controlled by Fickian diffusion. The fabricated scaffolds doped with active compounds IQ-1 and IQ-1E effectively inhibited phagocyte inflammatory responses. For example, they suppressed human neutrophil activation by the biomaterials, as indicated by decreased neutrophil reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and Ca2+ mobilization. In addition, they inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NF-κB/AP-1 reporter activity in THP-1Blue cells and interleukin (IL)-6 production in MonoMac-6 cells without affecting cell viability. These effects were attributed to the released compounds rather than cell-surface interactions. Therefore, our study demonstrates that doping tissue engineering scaffolds with novel JNK inhibitors represents a powerful tool for preventing adverse immune responses to biomaterials as well as serves as a platform for drug delivery.