Fabrication of electrospun thermoplastic polyurethane blended poly (l-lactide-co-e-caprolactone) microyarn scaffolds for engineering of female pelvic-floor tissue

Potential scaffolds for repair of the female pelvic floor require new materials and fabrication by novel methods to improve cellular infiltration. An 'ideal' engineered scaffold for pelvic-floor tissue should mimic the three-dimensional (3D) network of the extracellular matrix (ECM), which possesses intricate macro- and nano-architecture. In this study, a series of blended poly(l-lactide-co-ecaprolactone) P(LLA-CL)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) microyarn/microfibrous scaffolds were produced with different weight ratios via dynamic liquid electrospinning and electrospinning. Both biopolymers were dissolved in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP). Our data showed the mean diameter of microyarn scaffolds to be significantly larger than that of microfibers. Microyarn scaffolds possessed large pore sizes and high porosity. There was no significant difference between the mechanical properties of microyarn and microfibrous scaffolds. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy suggested that intermolecular bonds were not present between the molecules of TPU and P(LLA-CL). Morphologic observations using scanning electron microscopy and inverted fluorescence microscopy showed that adipose-derived stem cells labeled with enhanced green fluorescent protein could grow well along or within blend microyarns and migrate within the novel 3D scaffolds. Hematoxylin and eosin staining demonstrated that cell infiltration on microyarn scaffolds was significantly enhanced. The CCK-8 assay showed that microyarns could significantly facilitate cell proliferation compared with microfibrous scaffolds. These results suggested that blend microyarns of P(LLA-CL)/TPU designed to mimic the ECM for female pelvic-floor tissue may be excellent macroporous scaffolds for tissue repair.