Boontharika Thapsukhon

Novel biomaterials suitable for bone tissue engineering are currently in demand, and reformulating natural and synthetic biomaterials has caught scientists' attention. Cellulose and collagen have been utilized in biomedical fields. This research aimed to fabricate collagen‐cellulose‐poly(l‐lactide) (Col‐Cel‐PLL) scaffold using collagen, cellulose, and poly( l‐lactide) through electrospinning and radiofrequency plasma treatment and to examine the scaffold's physicochemical and biological properties. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed its chemistry, and scanning electron microscopy showed fine interconnecting microfibrous fibers; it was super‐hydrophilic with low crystallinity (25.59%) and great Young's modulus (163.940 ± 8.008 MPa), and it was reasonably degraded. Regarding biological properties, the scaffold was biocompatible by supporting cell attachment and viability. Cells on the Col‐Cel‐PLL produced high total protein levels and collagen deposition. However, the alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly low.

Sesamin, a significant lignin compound isolated from sesame (Sesamum indicum Linn), is well known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and tissue growth promotion properties. Bioabsorbable poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is also a well-known polymer applied to various fields of medicine as biomaterials. The main objective of this research was to produce a prototype material from PCL and sesamin by electrospinning technique for bone tissue engineering applications. Dichloromethane and dimethylformamide (7:3) mixture was used as the solvent system for fabrication of PCL nanofiber with different loads of sesamin concentrations (1–6 wt%). The crystallinity levels decreasing and the entrapment efficiency increasing (86.87%–93.97%) were observed while sesamin concentrations were increased. The infrared spectra of electrospun mats confirmed that sesamin corporated into fibrous networks. The sesamin-loaded PCL nanofibrous membranes showed a significant release of sesamin in the range of 1.28–8.16 μg/mL within 10 weeks. The release data were fitted to zero order, first order, Higuchi and Korsmeyer-Peppas models to evaluate sesamin-releasing mechanisms and kinetics. The releasing kinetics of sesamin followed the Fickian diffusion mechanism of Korsmeyer-Peppas (R² = 0.99). In vitro experiments with an osteosarcoma cell line (MG-63) revealed cell attachment, biocompatibility, and promotion of bone marker expression, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity were studied. The electrospun PCL nanofiber loaded with sesamin had the potential as a scaffold for sesamin delivery to bone cells and applications in biomedicine.

In this study, for the first time, a biodegradable poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone), PLC 67:33 copolymer was developed for use as temporary scaffolds in reconstructive nerve surgery. The effect of the surface topology and pore architecture were studied on the biocompatibility for supporting the growth of human umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hWJ-MSCs) and human neuroblastoma cells (hNBCs) as cell models. Porous PLC membranes were prepared by electrospinning and phase immersion precipitation with particulate leaching and nonporous PLC membranes were prepared by solvent casting. From the results, the porous PLC membranes can support hWJ-MSCs and hNBCs cells better than the nonporous PLC membrane, and the interconnected pore scaffold prepared by electrospinning exhibited a more significant supporting attachment of the cells than the open pore and nonporous membranes. We can consider that these electrospun PLC membranes with 3-D interconnecting fiber networks and a high porosity warrant a potential use as nerve guides in reconstructive nerve surgery.

Electrospinning of various polymers has been used to produce nanofibrous scaffolds that mimic the extracellular matrix and support cell attachment for the potential repair and engineering of nerve tissue. In the study reported here, an electrospun copolymer of l‐lactide and ε‐caprolactone (67:33 mol%) resulted in a nanofibrous scaffold with average fibre diameter and pore size of 476 ± 88 and 253 ± 17 nm, respectively. Blending with low loadings of collagen (l‐lactide)‐co‐(ε‐caprolactone)] nanofibrous scaffolds, which also support attachment and proliferation of olfactory ensheathing cells while promoting cell health. The results here support further investigation of the electrospinning of these polymer blends as conduits for nerve repair. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

The main objective of this work has been to study the effects of copolymer microstructure, both chemical and physical, on the microporosity,in vitrohydrolytic degradability and biocompatibility of electrospun poly(l‐lactide‐co‐ε‐caprolactone), PLC, copolymer tubes for potential use as absorbable nerve guides. PLC copolymers with L : C compositions of 50 : 50 and 67 : 33 mol % were synthesized via the ring‐opening copolymerization ofl‐lactide (L) and ε‐caprolactone (C) at 120°C for 72 h using stannous octoate (tin(II) 2‐ethylhexanoate) andn‐hexanol as the initiating system. Electrospinning was carried out from solution in a dichloromethane/dimethylformamide (7 : 3 v/v) mixed solvent at room temperature. Thein vitrohydrolytic degradation of the electrospun PLC tubes was studied in phosphate buffer saline over a period of 36 weeks. The microporous tubes were found to be gradually degradable by a simple hydrolysis mechanism leading to random chain scission. At the end of the degradation period, the % weight retentions of the PLC 50 : 50 and 67 : 33 tubes were 15.6% and 70.2%, respectively. Pore stability during storage as well as cell attachment and proliferation of mouse fibroblast cells (L929) showed the greater potential of the PLC 67 : 33 tubes for use as temporary scaffolds in reconstructive nerve surgery. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 4357–4366, 2013

The aim of this study was to fabricate 75:25 poly(DL-lactide-co-e-caprolactone), poly(DLL-co-CL) membranes for used in guided tissue regeneration (GTR). The copolymer was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) in bulk. The 3-dimensional fiber networks with built-in microporosity membranes were prepared by electrospinning. The pore size was varied between 5-30 μm and the porosity of membrane was 69%. After immersing in phosphate buffered saline (PBS), the membranes were degradable with time, as indicated by molecular weight loss, mass weight loss, reduction of pH of the media and changes in the surface topography and shape of the membranes. However, the in vitro hydrolytic degradation of the membranes was too fast for use as periodontal GTR. The membranes maintained their original shape for the first 4 weeks and the porous structure disappeared within 2 weeks. Results from agar diffusion test suggest the membranes to be non-cytotoxic. In conclusion, the electrospun membrane was non-cytotoxic but the degradation rate was too fast to be used as GTR membrane in periodontal treatment.