Microtubular architecture of biodegradable polymer scaffolds

TLDR

Generating tissues with mammalian cells and biodegradable polymer scaffolds is a new approach, and many tissues such as nerve, muscle, tendon, ligament, blood vessel, bone, and teeth exhibit tubular or fibrous bundle architectures with anisotropic properties. The study designs and fabricates highly porous biodegradable polymer scaffolds using a novel phase‑separation technique to produce controllable parallel arrays of microtubular architecture. Scaffolds are fabricated by phase‑separation with polymer concentration, solvent system, and temperature gradient control, then seeded with osteoprogenitor cells and cultured in vitro, and the method is applicable to diverse polymers to tune degradation and cell–matrix interactions. The resulting scaffolds exhibit up to 97 % porosity, anisotropic mechanical properties, and guide osteoprogenitor cell distribution and neo‑tissue organization, making them suitable for engineering tissues with anisotropic architecture. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; J Biomed Mater Res 56:469–477, 2001.

Abstract

It is a relatively new approach to generate tissues with mammalian cells and scaffolds (temporary synthetic extracellular matrices). Many tissues, such as nerve, muscle, tendon, ligament, blood vessel, bone, and teeth, have tubular or fibrous bundle architectures and anisotropic properties. In this work, we have designed and fabricated highly porous scaffolds from biodegradable polymers with a novel phase-separation technique to generate controllable parallel array of microtubular architecture. Porosity as high as 97% has been achieved. The porosity, diameter of the microtubules, the tubular morphology, and their orientation are controlled by the polymer concentration, solvent system, and temperature gradient. The mechanical properties of these scaffolds are anisotropic. Osteoprogenitor cells are seeded in these three-dimensional scaffolds and cultured in vitro. The cell distribution and the neo-tissue organization are guided by the microtubular architecture. The fabrication technique can be applied to a variety of polymers, therefore the degradation rate and cell–matrix interactions can be controlled by the chemical composition of the polymers and the incorporation of bioactive moieties. These microtubular scaffolds may be used to engineer a variety of tissues with anisotropic architecture and properties. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 56: 469–477, 2001