A facile method for preparation of polycaprolactone/tricalcium phosphate fibrous matrix with a gradient mineral content

Abstract

We have demonstrated a facile method for the fabrication of biomimetic poly(caprolactone) (PCL) fibrous matrix with gradation in tricalcium phosphate (TCP) content. PCL solution in chloroform containing TCP powders was centrifuged for inducing gradient content in TCP. The PCL solution with centrifuged TCP was electrospun into the collector, resulting in the TCP-gradient PCL fibrous matrix with a high content of TCP at the bottom and nearly zero content at the top of the matrix. Cell culture on the fibrous matrices with low and high contents confirmed that osteoblast (MC3T3-E1) favored the fibrous matrix with a high TCP content in terms of proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. The TCP-gradient PCL fibrous matrix can potentially be employed for the biomedical application to the bone and bone-to-tendon regeneration. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.