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Modulation of gene expression using electrospun scaffolds with templated architecture
Author(s) -
Karchin A.,
Wang YN.,
Sanders J. E.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.34102
Subject(s) - materials science , scaffold , tissue engineering , electrospinning , template , fabrication , nanotechnology , nanofiber , biomedical engineering , polymer , composite material , engineering , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
The fabrication of biomimetic scaffolds is a critical component to fulfill the promise of functional tissue‐engineered materials. We describe herein a simple technique, based on printed circuit board manufacturing, to produce novel templates for electrospinning scaffolds for tissue‐engineering applications. This technique facilitates fabrication of electrospun scaffolds with templated architecture, which we defined as a scaffold's bulk mechanical properties being driven by its fiber architecture. Electrospun scaffolds with templated architectures were characterized with regard to fiber alignment and mechanical properties. Fast Fourier transform analysis revealed a high degree of fiber alignment along the conducting traces of the templates. Mechanical testing showed that scaffolds demonstrated tunable mechanical properties as a function of templated architecture. Fibroblast‐seeded scaffolds were subjected to a peak strain of 3 or 10% at 0.5 Hz for 1 h. Exposing seeded scaffolds to the low strain magnitude (3%) significantly increased collagen I gene expression compared to the high strain magnitude (10%) in a scaffold architecture‐dependent manner. These experiments indicate that scaffolds with templated architectures can be produced, and modulation of gene expression is possible with templated architectures. This technology holds promise for the long‐term goal of creating tissue‐engineered replacements with the biomechanical and biochemical make‐up of native tissues. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 2012.