Fabrication and in vitro characterization of microfiber scaffolds

• Main Author: Yang, Pei Fen
• Other Authors: Leong Kah Fai
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/44482
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Tendon injuries are commonly resulted from sports activity and workplace. Therefore tendon tissue engineering offers an alternative technique for regenerating tendons. Hence biocompatible scaffolds play an important role as support biomaterials for tendon regeneration. It serves as support matrix for cell growth. Fibrous scaffolds are preferred for tendon tissue engineering. Melt drawing able to fabricate microfiber bundle which has similar geometry as tendons. Therefore, fibrous scaffolds are fabricated via melt drawing technique. Polycaprolactone (PCL) has been used as biomaterials for tissue engineering. It is biocompatibility and slow degradation rate. Therefore, PCL is selected as microfiber fabrication materials. However, surface of PCL is hydrophobic and the interaction between cells and base materials is not the best. Therefore, simple surface modification by using acetic acid, sodium hydroxide and collagen is done. Cell culture is carried out in order to investigate the effects of surface modification on human dermal fibroblasts proliferation rate. It is found that the effect of simple modification has no significantly differences between each surface modification. Microfiber scaffolds are observed by scanning electron microscope in order to verify the cell proliferation for 3 days and 7 days. The project can be extended to a wider scope for practical application. Suggestions on how the project can be extended are being discussed under future work.