Fabrication and Characterization of Polycaprolactone / Polyvinyl Alcohol / Aloe Vera Extract Electrospun Scaffold for Corneal Stromal Tissue Engineering

Introduction & Objective:

Due to corneal health problems with allograft corneal transplantation, which include a lack of highly quality of donated cornea as well as the rejection by the immune system over a period of five years, corneal reconstruction with the help of new technology is of great importance. In this study, different ratios of polycaprolactone with polyvinyl alcohol containing aloe vera extract were used to prepare an electrospinning scaffold with similar properties to the targeted tissue.

Materials & Methods:

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to determine the morphology of electrospun scaffolds. In order to determine the physical properties of electrospun scaffolds, their transparency, hy<font>drop</font>hilicity, water absorption and degradability were investigated. The mechanical properties of the scaffolding were also investigated. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) was used to study the functional groups of scaffolds. To observe the biological properties, the prepared scaffolds were examined.

The results of scanning electron microscopy showed that by addition of aloe vera extract, the diameter of the fibers in the polycaprolactone and polyvinyl alcohol scaffold decreased from 423 to 214 nm. The results of contact angle test, water absorption and degradability showed that with the addition of polyvinyl alcohol and aloe vera extract, the hy<font>drop</font>hilicity and degradability of electrospin scaffolds were increased. The results of light transmission test also showed that with adding the amount of polyvinyl alcohol and aloe vera extract, the light transmission rate of polycaprolactone scaffolding from 14.7% to 74.14% in polycaprolactone and polyvinyl alcohol scaffolds containing aloe vera extract increases. The results of mechanical tests showed that with the addition of polyvinyl alcohol and aloe vera, the Young's modulus of electrospun scaffolds increased compared to polycaprolactone scaffold.

The results showed that the addition of polyvinyl alcohol to polycaprolactone and aloe vera improved adhesion and cellular behavior.