A facile method for fabricating nano/microfibrous three-dimensional scaffold with hierarchically porous to enhance cell infiltration

Nanofiber/hydrogel core-shell scaffolds with three-dimensional multilayer patterned structure for accelerating diabetic wound healing

Impaired angiogenesis is one of the predominant reasons for non-healing diabetic wounds. Herein, a nanofiber/hydrogel core–shell scaffold with three-dimensional (3D) multilayer patterned structure (3D-PT-P/GM) was introduced for promoting diabetic wound healing with improved angiogenesis. The results showed that the 3D-PT-P/GM scaffolds possessed multilayered structure with interlayer spacing of about 15–80 μm, and the hexagonal micropatterned structures were uniformly distributed on the surface of each layer. The nanofibers in the scaffold exhibited distinct core–shell structures with Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel as the shell and Poly (d, l-lactic acid) (PDLLA) as the core. The results showed that the porosity, water retention time and water vapor permeability of the 3D-PT-P/GM scaffolds increased to 1.6 times, 21 times, and 1.9 times than that of the two-dimensional (2D) PDLLA nanofibrous scaffolds, respectively. The in vitro studies showed that the 3D-PT-P/GM scaffolds could significantly promote cell adhesion, proliferation, infiltration and migration throughout the scaffolds, and the expression of cellular communication protein-related genes, as well as angiogenesis-related genes in the same group, was remarkably upregulated. The in vivo results further demonstrated that the 3D-PT-P/GM scaffolds could not only effectively absorb exudate and provide a moist environment for the wound sites, but also significantly promote the formation of a 3D network of capillaries. As a result, the healing of diabetic wounds was accelerated with enhanced angiogenesis, granulation tissue formation, and collagen deposition. These results indicate that nanofiber/hydrogel core–shell scaffolds with 3D multilayer patterned structures could provide a new strategy for facilitating chronic wound healing.

Multi-Functional Electrospun Nanofibers from Polymer Blends for Scaffold Tissue Engineering

Electrospinning and polymer blending have been the focus of research and the industry for their versatility, scalability, and potential applications across many different fields. In tissue engineering, nanofiber scaffolds composed of natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a mixture of both have been reported. This review reports recent advances in polymer blended scaffolds for tissue engineering and the fabrication of functional scaffolds by electrospinning. A brief theory of electrospinning and the general setup as well as modifications used are presented. Polymer blends, including blends with natural polymers, synthetic polymers, mixture of natural and synthetic polymers, and nanofiller systems, are discussed in detail and reviewed.