Work

Nitrogen-Doped Diamond-like Coatings for Long-Term Enhanced Cell Adhesion on Electrospun Poly(ε-caprolactone) Scaffold Surfaces

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Due to their structure mimicking extracellular matrix, high biocompatibility, and elasticity, electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-based scaffolds are widely used in tissue engineering. However, low surface functionality, resulting in low cell adhesion and tissue integration, remains the key drawback of PCL scaffolds. It is well known that nitrogen-doped diamond-like carbon (N-DLC) coatings deposited on the surface of various metal, ceramic, and polymer implants are able to enhance their biocompatibility and functional properties. Importantly, the preservation of N-DLC coating properties determines the shelf-life of a coated medical device. Herein, we report the utilization of the pulsed vacuum arc deposition (PVAD) technique for the fabrication of thin N-DLC coatings on the surface of electrospun PCL scaffolds. The morphology, mechanical strength, surface elemental composition, and interaction with human multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MMSC) of the electrospun PCL scaffolds with N-DLC coatings deposited under various nitrogen pressures were investigated. The elemental composition, tensile strength, and surface human MMSC adhesion were studied immediately after fabrication and after 6 months of storage under normal conditions. It was established that an increase in nitrogen pressure in the range from 5×10-3 to 5×10-1 Pa results in up to a 10-fold increase in nitrogen content and a 2-fold increase in the roughness of the PCL fiber surface. These factors provided the conditions for the enhanced adhesion and proliferation of MMSC on the surface of the modified PCL scaffolds. The observed effect was preserved after 6 months of storage of the modified PCL-based scaffolds under normal conditions.

Source: Polymers

DOI: 10.3390/polym16243524