Material Characterization of PCL:PLLA Electrospun Fibers Following Six Months Degradation In Vitro
The annulus fibrosus—one of the two tissues comprising the intervertebral disc—is susceptible to injury and disease, leading to chronic pain and rupture. A synthetic, biodegradable material could provide a suitable scaffold that alleviates this pain and supports repair through ti...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-03-01
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| Series: | Polymers |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/3/700 |
| _version_ | 1811226167842177024 |
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| author | Alyah H. Shamsah Sarah H. Cartmell Stephen M. Richardson Lucy A. Bosworth |
| author_facet | Alyah H. Shamsah Sarah H. Cartmell Stephen M. Richardson Lucy A. Bosworth |
| author_sort | Alyah H. Shamsah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The annulus fibrosus—one of the two tissues comprising the intervertebral disc—is susceptible to injury and disease, leading to chronic pain and rupture. A synthetic, biodegradable material could provide a suitable scaffold that alleviates this pain and supports repair through tissue regeneration. The transfer of properties, particularly biomechanical, from scaffold to new tissue is essential and should occur at the same rate to prevent graft failure post-implantation. This study outlines the effect of hydrolytic degradation on the material properties of a novel blend of polycaprolactone and poly(lactic acid) electrospun nanofibers (50:50) over a six-month period following storage in phosphate buffered saline solution at 37 °C. As expected, the molecular weight distribution for this blend decreased over the 180-day period. This was in line with significant changes to fiber morphology, which appeared swollen and merged following observation using Scanning Electron Microscopy. Similarly, hydrolysis resulted in considerable remodeling of the scaffolds’ polymer chains as demonstrated by sharp increases in percentage crystallinity and tensile properties becoming stiffer, stronger and more brittle over time. These mechanical data remained within the range reported for human annulus fibrosus tissue and their long-term efficacy further supports this novel blend as a potential scaffold to support tissue regeneration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T09:19:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c870b53ea984499481beab5cf21da63e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T09:19:41Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polymers |
| spelling | doaj.art-c870b53ea984499481beab5cf21da63e2022-12-22T03:38:42ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602020-03-0112370010.3390/polym12030700polym12030700Material Characterization of PCL:PLLA Electrospun Fibers Following Six Months Degradation In VitroAlyah H. Shamsah0Sarah H. Cartmell1Stephen M. Richardson2Lucy A. Bosworth3Department of Materials, Faculty of Science and Engineering, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UKDepartment of Materials, Faculty of Science and Engineering, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UKDivision of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UKDepartment of Materials, Faculty of Science and Engineering, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UKThe annulus fibrosus—one of the two tissues comprising the intervertebral disc—is susceptible to injury and disease, leading to chronic pain and rupture. A synthetic, biodegradable material could provide a suitable scaffold that alleviates this pain and supports repair through tissue regeneration. The transfer of properties, particularly biomechanical, from scaffold to new tissue is essential and should occur at the same rate to prevent graft failure post-implantation. This study outlines the effect of hydrolytic degradation on the material properties of a novel blend of polycaprolactone and poly(lactic acid) electrospun nanofibers (50:50) over a six-month period following storage in phosphate buffered saline solution at 37 °C. As expected, the molecular weight distribution for this blend decreased over the 180-day period. This was in line with significant changes to fiber morphology, which appeared swollen and merged following observation using Scanning Electron Microscopy. Similarly, hydrolysis resulted in considerable remodeling of the scaffolds’ polymer chains as demonstrated by sharp increases in percentage crystallinity and tensile properties becoming stiffer, stronger and more brittle over time. These mechanical data remained within the range reported for human annulus fibrosus tissue and their long-term efficacy further supports this novel blend as a potential scaffold to support tissue regeneration.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/3/700electrospinningannulus fibrosuspolycaprolactonepoly(l-lactic) acidpolymer blenddegradation |
| spellingShingle | Alyah H. Shamsah Sarah H. Cartmell Stephen M. Richardson Lucy A. Bosworth Material Characterization of PCL:PLLA Electrospun Fibers Following Six Months Degradation In Vitro Polymers electrospinning annulus fibrosus polycaprolactone poly(l-lactic) acid polymer blend degradation |
| title | Material Characterization of PCL:PLLA Electrospun Fibers Following Six Months Degradation In Vitro |
| title_full | Material Characterization of PCL:PLLA Electrospun Fibers Following Six Months Degradation In Vitro |
| title_fullStr | Material Characterization of PCL:PLLA Electrospun Fibers Following Six Months Degradation In Vitro |
| title_full_unstemmed | Material Characterization of PCL:PLLA Electrospun Fibers Following Six Months Degradation In Vitro |
| title_short | Material Characterization of PCL:PLLA Electrospun Fibers Following Six Months Degradation In Vitro |
| title_sort | material characterization of pcl plla electrospun fibers following six months degradation in vitro |
| topic | electrospinning annulus fibrosus polycaprolactone poly(l-lactic) acid polymer blend degradation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/3/700 |
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