Fabrication of poly (L-lactic acid)/gelatin composite tubular scaffolds for vascular tissue engineering

The in vitro fabrication of fully functional 3D vascular tissue construct represents one of the most fundamental challenges in vascular tissue engineering. Polymer blending is an effective method for developing, desirable bio-composites for tissue engineering. This study employs the blending of desired characteristics of a synthetic polymer, poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and a biopolymer, gelatin for enhancing cell adhesion sites. Aligned and random PLLA/gelatin nanofibers were fabricated using electrospinning technique. Morphological and chemical characterization of the nanofibrous scaffolds was carried out and the size of fibers ranged from 100 to 500 nm. The SEM, fluorescent staining and viability assays revealed an increase in viability and proliferation of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) and Smooth Muscle Cells (SMCs) proportional to gelatin content. The aligned fiber morphology helps cells to orient and elongate along their long axis. Thus the results were suggestive of the fact that topographically aligned nanofibrous scaffolds control cellular organization and possibly provide a good support for achieving the vital organization and physical properties of blood vessel.