Effect of Nanoclay Addition on the Properties of Polycaprolactone Nanocomposite Scaffolds Containing Adipose Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells used in Soft Tissue Engineering

Tissue-engineering scaffolds provide biological and mechanical frameworks for cell adhesion, growth, and differentiation. Nanofibrous scaffolds mimic the native extracellular matrix (ECM) and play a significant role in formation and remodeling of tissues and/or organs . One way to mimic the desired properties of fibrous ECM is adding nanoparticles into the polymer matrix. In the current study, the uniform fibers of poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) enriched with different layered double hydroxide (LDH) contents (ranging from 0.1 wt.% to 10 wt.%) were successfully fabricated by electrospinning method. The LDH nano particles were randomly dispersed in the fibers, as confirmed by Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Scaffolds were analyzed from morphological, physical and mechanical view. Biological assessments of scaffolds in terms of cellular attachment and adipogenic differentiation of mouse adipose derived stem cells (mADSCs) were performed. The results showed that inclusion of LDH nanoparticles reduced the average fiber diameter and enhanced the tensile strength and elongation at break values of the PCL scaffold. The LDH-enriched electrospun PCL scaffolds had remarkable effects on cell adhesion. Moreover, a significant increase in adipogenic differentiation of mADSCs was observed. The PCL/LDH nanofibrous scaffolds showed great potential in application for soft tissue engineering.