Bio-electrospraying assessment towards in situ chondrocyte-laden
electrospun scaffold fabrication
Abstract
Electrospinning has been widely used for the development of fibrous
scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering (TE), however their small
pores significantly limit cell infiltration throughout the scaffolds,
particularly in three-dimensional (3D) designs. In this endeavor, a
direct incorporation of chondrocytes into the fibers mesh during the
electrospinning presents itself as a promising solution by use of
bio-electrospraying. Yet, for this technology to be effectively employed
for cartilage TE, it is necessary to assess if chondrocytes are in any
way adversely affected. So, in this work, several electrospraying
experiments were performed by adjusting various operational parameters
to evaluate their influence on chondrocyte viability and function. A
high percentage of post-electrosprayed chondrocytes remained viable upon
the exposure of an external electric field generated by low needle to
collector distances and low applied voltages. No obvious differences
were found with non-electrosprayed chondrocytes in terms of viability,
morphology and proliferation. The data reported here further suggest
that bio-electrospraying under the optimal operational conditions might
be a promising alternative to the existent cell seeding techniques,
promoting not only cells safe delivery to the scaffold, but also the
development of highly cellularized and uniform tissue constructs for
cartilage repair.