Modeling and fabrication of electrospun polymer nanofibers with tailored architectures for tissue engineering scaffold applications

Abstract

By using finite element method (FEM), nanofibers' deposition behavior including the orientation and alignment of nanofibers that are approaching to fiber collectors was simulated and systematically investigated in term of the effects of electrostatic field. Based on the simulation results, we have experimentally demonstrated that Poly (ε-caprolactrone) (PCL) nanofibers with various disired patterns and ordered architectures can be prepared using predesigned fiber collectors. When cultured with mouse osteoblastic cell line (MC3T3-E1), it was found that the cells grew and elongated along the fiber orientation directions, and the results cellular organization and distribution mimicked the topological structures of the PCL nanofiber scaffolds. These results indicated that electrospun nanofiber scaffolds with tailored architechtures and patterns hold potential for engineering functional tissues or organs, where an ordered cellular organization is essential.