Preparation, Characterization, and Surface Modification of Polycaprolactone-Based Nanofibrous Scaffold by Grafting with Collagen for Skin Tissue Engineering

Purpose Based on the capabilities of polycaprolactone-based nanofibers (PCL) in the wound healing process, some of polycaprolactone’s weaknesses, such as hydrophobicity and cell non-adhesion to it, were improved by grafting collagen to the surface of the nanofibers. Methods First, polymeric solutions of PCL/chitosan/gelatin in acetic acid/formic acid solvent were prepared for electrospinning in this study. The effects of various factors on the electrospinability and morphology of the fabricated fiber were then investigated, including the volumetric ratio of solvents, chitosan concentration, gelatin concentration, and solution flow rate. In addition, the appropriate conditions for electrospinning of PCL/chitosan/gelatin solution were obtained without the addition of any other substance to increase the electrospinability of the solution, and the electrospinability range of the aforementioned solution was presented. Following electrospinning, the extracted collagen from the rat tail tendon with two different mass ratios was grafted onto the nanofiber surface. Following that, the morphology, chemical compositions, swelling, water vapor transmission rate, contact angle, tensile strength, cell viability, and human fibroblast cell adhesion of this nanofiber were investigated. Results The solution’s electrospinability range was introduced, and a beadless nanofiber was formed under the proposed appropriate electrospinning conditions. According to the results of scanning electron microscopy, the mean diameter of beadless nanofiber was 282 ± 37 nm. It was also demonstrated that the nanofiber has significant swelling, good mechanical properties, an acceptable water vapor transmission rate, and appropriate cell attachment, viability, and migration. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that grafting collagen on the scaffold surface can significantly improve cell attachment, viability, and migration. Conclusions This PCL-based nanofiber mat can be considered as a skin tissue scaffold. Lay Summary As a potential skin tissue scaffold, an electrospun PCL-based mat was prepared in this study. In addition, for the first time, an optimum condition was introduced for electrospinning of PCL/chitosan/gelatin solution without the addition of any other additives, and various tests such as water vapor transmission rate were performed to evaluate its properties. Furthermore, collagen was grafted onto the proposed nanofiber mat, and the results of the tests show that grafting collagen can improve cell attachment, viability, and migration on the scaffold, and the produced mat has great potential as a skin tissue scaffold. Future Works Based on the findings of this study, the authors strongly advise that the performance of the scaffold, which is grafted with 0.4% collagen solution, be investigated using immunostaining and in-vivo tests, as well as a quantitative examination of cell adhesion, for further evaluations.