%0 Journal Article
%T Electrospun Biopolyesters: Hydrophobic Scaffolds With Favorable Biological Response - Electrospun Biopolyesters: Hydrophobic Scaffolds With Favorable Biological Response - Open Access Pub
%A Belinda Pinguan Murphy
%A Pedram Azari
%A Samira Hosseini
%A Sergio O. Martinez-Chapa
%J OAP | Home | Journal of Public Health International | Open Access Pub
%D 2019
%X DOI10.14302/issn.2641-4538.jphi-18-1975 Editorial Note A scaffold is defined as a 3D porous material that features characteristics such as biocompatibility, and biodegradability to serve as a temporary platform for tissue regeneration. While hydrophilicity was not initially mentioned as one of the requirements for scaffolding materials, the success of bio-derived hydrophilic natural polymers e.g. collagen, gelatin, won great acclaims for hydrophilic scaffolds 1. However, more recent application of hydrophobic electrospun biopolyesters in tissue engineering provides an opportunity to look at this matter from a different perspective and to identify the suitability of hydrophobic scaffold materials as well. For the last two decades, electrospun biopolyesters have been an important class of scaffolding materials offering the advantages of electrospinning and biocompatibility of polyesters in one package. Electrospinning is a direct and versatile method that has the flexibility to be applied for fiber fabrication from various biopolymers 2. It produces morphologies and dimensions similar to those of natural extracellular matrix (ECM) 3, an interwoven random fibrous structure of collagen and elastin with diameters ranging from tens to hundreds nanometers creating a matrix with considerable surface area for biomolecular interactions 4, 5. The morphological similarity of the electrospun scaffolds to natural ECMs facilitates cell seeding, adhesion, proliferation, and cell differentiation 4, 6. Two other common features of electrospun fibers is their high surface area to volume ratio and their porosity, which can lead to infiltration of cells into scaffolds resulting in stronger cell attachment 7. The large surface area of the scaffolds is favorable for loading bioactive materials within the matrix 8 while the porous nature of the electrospun scaffolds facilitates food absorption and waste release by the cells 9. Componential aspects of the scaffold materials are also of great significance. An ideal scaffold mimics the natural morphological and componential properties of an ECM 4. Biopolyesters are attractive materials for scaffolding applications, mainly due to their relatively low cost of synthesis, ease of degradation, and the ability to tailor their degradation rate through changes in the structure. This class of polymers degrade through hydrolysis of the ester bonds, producing non-toxic degradation products 10. Polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA), poly3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), and its copolymer with hydroxvalerate (PHBV) are the most popular
%U https://www.openaccesspub.org/jphi/article/731