pps proceeding - Abstract Preview
pps proceeding
Symposium: S13 - Polymer Materials for Medical Applications
Oral Presentation
 
 

Electrospinning of spring-like fibres from elastomeric copolyesters

Sonseca Agueda (1), Kaczmarek Aleksandra (1), Michon Marcin (1), Sobolewski Peter (1), El Fray Miroslawa (1)*

(1) West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin - zachodniopomorskie - Poland

Scaffolds using biodegradable polymers are a new standard in regenerative medicine. Cells can be immobilized on a support material that provides a platform for differentiation and proliferation. This approach may enable engineered cardiac constructs, capable bringing cardiomyocytes directly to the infarct region, and, thus revolutionize heart therapies. Ideally, such a construct ensures delivery of cells directly to the desired site, i.e., the damaged myocardium, and enables integration of cells with the host tissue, regenerating the myocardium, while the scaffold undergoes biodegradation [1,2]. Towards this aim, electrospinning is a technique that provides a straightforward way to produce fibrous mats with a large surface area to volume ratio and interconnected porosity. These properties are well suited to producing scaffolds mimicking the native cardiac extracellular matrix. Further, spring-shaped, coiled fibers are preferred for cardiac scaffolds as this biomimetic morphology allows extension and re-coiling in harmony with the stretching and contraction movements of the cardiac muscle. Thus, electrospun scaffolds must possess sufficient elasticity to support tissue contraction and relaxation. The electrospinning of poly(butylene succinate-butylene dilinoleate) (PBS-DLA) copolymer was successfully applied to prepare scaffolds composed of elastic, spring-like fibers. The synthesis of PBS-DLA is an enzyme-catalyzed process [3] thus providing material without any toxic residues of organometallic catalyst used in conventional synthesis. References 1. Jawad H. et al., Adv. Eng. Mater., 2010, 12(12), B664-B674 2. Tallawi M., et al. , Macromolecular Symposia, 2013, 334(1), 57-67 3. Sonsea A., McClain, A., Puskas, J. E., El Fray M, Engineering of Biomaterials, 2016, 19 (138), 31 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The project is financially supported by National Science Centre, Poland, under the HARMONIA scheme (agreement No: UMO-2014/14/M/ST8/00610).