Morphological and Biological Characterization of PVA-Nanodiamond Electrospun Fibers

摘要

Electrospinning is the most efficient method of manufacturing scaffolds for bone tissue engineering because it produces nanofibers which have features similar to the native ECM. Electrospinning involves the use of a high voltage supply (typically DC), a syringe filled with polymer solution (or melt), and a grounded collector to create continuous fibers on the micro- or nanoscale. Electrospinning has been investigated using several natural and synthetic, biodegradable and permanent, materials [1, 2]. Polycaprolactone (PCL), polyglycolic acid (PGA), polylactic acid (PLA), and the copolymer, polylactic-coglycolide (PLGA) are used frequently in electrospinning because they are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in biological applications [3]. As a result, electrospun scaffolds are also being used for therapeutic delivery applications. Numerous types of therapeutics have been studied for delivery, from growth factors and proteins to chemotherapy drugs and antibacterial treatments. Sahoo et al. showed that the electrospun fibers can appropriately prolong the release of growth factors from scaffolds in combination with positively influencing stem cell behavior and fate [4]. The electrospun nanofibers also have a high surface area that permits for loading large amounts of drug.