Evaluations of chitosan/poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) composite fibrous scaffold for tissue engineering applications

The objective of the present study was to evaluate non-woven chitosan/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) fibrous scaffold (chitosan/PLGA FS) prepared by a co-electrospinning process for tissue engineering applications, as compared to chitosan and PLGA FSs. The morphological, structural, and mechanical properties of the FSs were assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflection mode (FTIR-ATR), and a universal testing machine (UTM). The biocompatibility of the FSs was also evaluated in vitro in cultures of mouse fibroblasts and in vivo by subcutaneous implantation studies in rats. SEM image of the chitosan/PLGA FS showed morphological similarities to the natural ECM, characterized by high surface-to-volume ratio, high porosity, and variable pore size distributions. The FTIR-ATR spectrum of chitosan/PLGA FS revealed incorporation of the characteristic bands of chitosan and PLGA, indicating the co-existence of two fibrous structures. The poor mechanical properties of chitosan FS was improved by co-electrospinning with PLGA. In vitro L929 cell proliferation assay revealed that the cytocompatibility of chitosan/PLGA FS was increased compared to that of PLGA. In addition, chitosan/PLGA FS showed the improved ability to resolve foreign body reactions compared to PLGA FS due to the presence of chitosan.