Characterization of Biodegradable Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Heart Valve Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineering combines cells and a three dimensional biodegradable scaffold to create viable tissue to replace damaged or missing tissue in the body. Recently it has been shown that morphology plays an important role in directing cellular activity within a synthetic scaffold. To this end, scaffolds comprised of nano-scale fibers are attractive for tissue engineering applications as they mimic the physical structure of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM). To create nanofibrous scaffolds with varying morphologies, we electrospun poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) fibers and varied polymer solution concentrations, molecular weights, applied voltages, and distances from the tip of the needle to the collection plate using a resolution III two-level fractional factorial design. Changes in nanofiber diameter and porosity were examined and the main effects determined. Results show that nanofiber diameter ranges from 253 to 1469 nm and that variation in PLGA molecular weight and polymer solution concentration both have an effect on fiber diameter. For future experiments, the electrospinning parameters will be tailored to produce scaffolds suitable for the attachment, proliferation, and ECM production of valvular interstitial cells for heart valve tissue engineering.