Wet-spun poly(ε-caprolactone) microfiber scaffolds for oriented growth and infiltration of smooth muscle cells

• The oriented PCL microfiber scaffolds were fabricated by a new wet-spinning system using blended solution of edible oil and hexane as the non-solvent coagulation bath.
• The fiber diameter and porosity of these microfiber scaffolds are controllable by tune the spun condition.
• Smooth muscle cells could grow in an oriented fashion along the fibers and infiltrate the scaffold as well as maintain SMCs phenotype.

The tissue engineered blood vessel requires oriented fibrous scaffold as template to guide smooth muscle cells (SMCs) oriented growth and infiltration. It is a considerable challenge to fabricate this kind of fibrous scaffold. In this letter, we developed a new wet-spinning system that involves a blended solution of edible oil and hexane as a non-solvent coagulation bath to fabricate oriented poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) microfiber scaffold. The fiber diameter and porosity could be controlled in the range of 7 to 27 μm and 68 to 82%, respectively. SMCs could grow in an oriented fashion along the fibers and infiltrate inside the scaffold as well as maintain SMCs phenotype. This oriented microfiber scaffold has a promising potential for regenerating blood vessels and other fibrous tissues such as tendon, ligament and intervertebral discs.