Electrospun Fibers of Polyester, with Both Nano- and Micron Diameters, Loaded with Antioxidant for Application as Wound Dressing or Tissue Engineered Scaffolds

Antioxidant loaded poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds were fabricated by electrospinning and then tested - mechanically and characterized via microscopy imaging. These mats are intended to be used in tissue repair or for wound healing, and their aim is to enhance the biocompatibility by reducing the inflammatory response related to biomaterials via the release of reactive oxygen species, (ROS)-responsive molecules, with antifibrotic properties over a certain length of time. Of the antioxidants studied, only allicin, curcumin, piperine, polydatin, and quercetin were found to be miscible with the polyester and gave rise to better processing by electrospinning and a greater homogeneity of the mats. The scaffolds of different fiber morphologies (micro-, nano-, or micro-nanostructured, the latter more closely mimicking the structure of the extracellular matrix of soft tissue) filled with 5% of antioxidant, showed a Young's modulus and tensile strengths lower than those of pure PCL (i.e., elastic modulus of 5-9 MPa vs 12-27 MPa for PCL) but exhibited very interesting mechanical behavior for soft tissue engineered applications with elongation at breaks higher than 25% at room temperature. In a preliminary study, human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells were also seeded in several scaffolds and analyzed by fluorescence microscopy and showed that the cells were able to attach, survive, and grow in these 3D culture systems.