Fabrication of a tissue engineering mat by emulsion-based electrospinning of polycaprolactone/silk fibroin using a new solvent system

Abstract

The development of electrospun tissue engineering scaffolds using silk fibroin and polycaprolactone (PCL) has been reported. The challenge in this system is the design of a suitable solvent with high stability. In this study, a mat was electrospun with PCL-fibroin fibers using an emulsion consisting of PCL and a blend of fibroin and polyethylene oxide (PEO). The effects of different concentrations of fibroin and PEO and ratios of formic acid: distilled water (FA:DW, solvent for fibroin and PEO) and chloroform: formic acid (Chl:FA, solvent for PCL) were studied. The FA:DW and Chl:FA ratios of 70:30 were proved to make an optimized and stable solvent system. In addition, by controlling the water absorption of the mat, we optimized its weight loss and maintained its integrity for up to 14â days. Also, the mechanical and cell attachment properties were as expected. Chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay exhibited the potential of the mats to induce angiogenesis. Furthermore, subcutaneous implantation in a mouse model elicited no significant inflammatory response. This study provides a simple and promising electrospinning fabrication with an optimized solvent system for tissue engineering applications.