Investigation of the Cell Proliferation Potential on Fibrous Scaffold Structure

Abstract

Stereoscopic design of artificial scaffolds is required for the construction of microscopical extracellular environments and complex three-dimensional structures. Electrospinning is an effective method used to fabricate nano-microscale fibers that are similar in structure and function to the extracellular matrix. The purpose of this study was to provide high cell adhesion and cell proliferation potential to nano-microscale segmented polyurethane scaffolds. We evaluated 3 kinds of scaffolds including nanofiber, microfiber and mixed scaffolds that were prepared using a electrospinning method. A mixed scaffold was defined as a mixture of nanofibers and microfibers. Fiber diameters of electrospun scaffolds were measured using scanning electron microscopy, and were O.82±0.16 μm for nanofiber, 5.07±O.65 μm for microfiber, and 0.79±0.15 μm and 5.65±O.78 μm for mixed scaffolds. Porosity of electrospun scaffolds was 47.4% for nanofiber, 76.4% for microfiber and 60.9% for mixed scaffolds. Mouse NIH3T3 fibroblasts were then used for cell affinity evaluation. NIH3T3 cells proliferated most actively on the microfiber scaffold as evaluated by the MTT assay. ln addition, the microfiber scaffold allowed cells to enter the inside of the fibrous scaffold. Thus, proliferation of NIH3T3 cells appears to rely on the size of porosity rather than fiber diameter. In conclusion, the microfiber scaffold is the most effective design for the construction of three-dimensional tissues.