Preparation and characterization of poly(pluronic-co-l-lactide) nanofibers for tissue engineering

In this work, a new kind of biodegradable poly(pluronic-co-l-lactide) (Pluronic-PLLA copolymers) was successfully prepared by melt-polycondensation method from l-lactide, Pluronic and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI). The obtained copolymers were characterized by 1H NMR, FT-IR, X-ray, and TGA/DTA. Meanwhile, three-dimensional (3-D) porous scaffolds based on Pluronic-PLLA were prepared by the electrospinning method, the factors of concentration, flow rate and voltage that influence the formation of the Pluronic-PLLA nanofibers were studied and the structure of Pluronic-PLLA nanofibers were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). MTT results revealed that the Pluronic-PLLA scaffolds had good biocompatibility and nontoxicity. Morphological study using fluorescence micrographs and scanning electron microscopy showed that in vitro osteoblast cell culture demonstrated the electrospun Pluronic-PLLA composite scaffolds could provide a suitable environment for good cell attachment. These results suggested that such Pluronic-PLLA nanofibers membranes might have prospective applications in tissue engineering field.