Cellulose Nanocrystals Reinforced Electrospun Poly(lactic acid) Fibers as Potential Scaffold for Bone Tissure Engineering.
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Date
2010-04-29
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Abstract
Poly(lactic acid) / Cellulose Nanocrystals (PLA / CNs) were simultaneously electrospun to fabricate a novel renewable and biocompatible nanocomposite as potential scaffold for bone tissue engineering. CNs were successfully incorporated into the PLA fibers to reinforce the electrospun fiber mat. Thermal, chemical and mechanical analyses were performed to characterize and determine the properties of the scaffold fabricated. Highly porous fibers with fibers diameters in the range of 500-1000 nm were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Crystallinity of the electrospun nanocomposite was studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry. Adipose-derived human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) were used to study the cytocompatibility of the nanocomposite scaffold. Life/dead cell assay was performed to determine cell viability of the scaffolds. After one week of cell culture, confocal microscopy indicated that the cells grown on the PLA / CNs nanocomposite were confluent and very well aligned along the fibers while cells cultured on pure PLA fibers were not as confluent as in the developed nanocomposite. This project has demonstrated the feasibility of the fabricated PLA/CNs nanocomposite as a potential scaffold for bone tissue engineering.
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Keywords
scaffold, poly (lactic acid), cellulose nanocrystals
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Degree
MS
Discipline
Forest Biomaterials
