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.