Multifunctional Scaffolds Based on Piezoelectric Electrospun Fibers modified with Biocompatible Drug Carriers for Regenerative Medicine

The incorporation of bioactive compounds onto polymer fibrous scaffolds is essential to improve the functionality of scaffolds for personalized drug therapy and regenerative medicine. In this study, SiO2 microcapsules were prepared and used as drug carriers, which are further deposited onto polymer microfiber scaffolds [polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), and PHB doping with the conductive polyaniline (PANi) of 2 wt % (PHB-PANi)]. The number of immobilized microcapsules decreased with the increase of their zeta-potential due to the electrostatic repulsion forces between capsule wall and the negatively charged fiber surface, given the nature of the polymer used for the scaffold's fabrication. Additionally, the immobilization of the capsules in dynamic mechanical conditions resulted in an increased number of the capsules attached on the fibers with the increasing of the scaffold piezoelectric response (PCL < PHB < PHB-PANi). Osteogenic factor dexamethasone (DEXA) is chosen for the microcapsules loading in order to demonstrate the osteogenesis of the developed scaffolds. The immobilization of microcapsules provides a simple and convenient way to incorporate bioactive compounds onto polymer scaffolds, which makes these multimodal materials suitable for the personalized drug therapy and bone tissue engineering.