Development of a cell-delivery vehicle derived from electrospun non-woven nanostructured membranes

The construction and utilization of biodegradable and biocompatible scaffolds have long been practiced in tissue engineering. More recently, electrospinning has become increasingly popular as a means of manufacturing nanostructured scaffolds containing non-woven nanofibers for various biomedical applications. In this study, we expound on the prior art to potentially create a cell-delivery vehicle whose material and mechanical properties can be explicitly controlled by discriminating polymer compositions and concentrations. The introduction of a block copolymer (PLA 0.8 kD/PEG 3.4 kD/PLA 0.8 kD) as a bridging material to the hydrophobic PLA- and PLGA-based matrix has successfully inhibited in vitro conformational changes (i.e. shrinkage) while also improving cell affinity. The presence of this block copolymer in various concentrations has demonstrated characteristic degradation profiles in physiological medium - thus enabling us to specifically control breakdown rates. Furthermore, we successfully demonstrate that cells can migrate through a thin (10 μm) fibrous barrier and still remain viable for surface adhesion and proliferation. Taken together, these results indicate that a cell delivery vehicle composed of biodegradable polymers is indeed a viable option for tissue engineering.