Electrospun layered double hydroxide/poly (ε-caprolactone) nanocomposite scaffolds for adipogenic differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells

• Polycaprolactone composited with different LDH content were successfully fabricated.
• Hydrophilicity, degradation and mechanical properties of scaffolds were increased.
• Addition of nanoclay improves adipogenic differentiation of MSCs on the scaffolds.

Tissue-engineering scaffolds provide biological and structural supports for cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Fibrous scaffolds properly mimic the native extra cellular matrix (ECM) fibers which play an important role in development and regeneration of tissue and/or organs. One way to achieve fibrous scaffold with tailored properties is incorporating suitable nanomaterials into the polymeric matrix. In this study, the uniform and bead free fibers of poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) composited with different layered double hydroxide (LDH) contents (ranging from 0.1 wt.% to 10 wt.%) were successfully fabricated by electrospinning technique. The LDHs are uniformly dispersed throughout the fibers, as confirmed by Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The morphology, degradation, mechanical behavior, porosity, hydrophilicity, and protein adsorption of samples were analyzed. Also, the biological effects of nanocomposites on attachment, viability, proliferation, and adipogenic differentiation of mouse adipose derived stem cells (mADSCs) were evaluated. The results showed that the addition of LDH reduced the average fiber diameter and improved the tensile strength and elongation at break values of the PCL scaffold while hydrophilicity and degradation rate were increased. The LDH-enriched electrospun PCL scaffolds had a remarkable influence on cell adhesion and proliferation. Also, a significant increase in adipogenic differentiation of mADSCs was seen. The PCL-LDH fibrous scaffolds with a high porosity (94%) showed great potential in application for soft tissue engineering.

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