Abstract
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A novel 3D nanofiber-assembled scaffold (3DS) has been fabricated, which shows superelastic, superabsorbent, and excellent biocompatibility. 3DS may have great potential for varied tissue engineering application.
•A new tissue engineering scaffold was prepared by electrospinning and freeze-drying.•Structure of this scaffold is similar to collagen in nature extracellular matrix.•This scaffold shows superabsorbent and superelastic property.•This scaffold offers a proper microenvironment for cells growth and proliferation.
Fabrication of 3D scaffold to mimic the nanofibrous structure of the nature extracellular matrix (ECM) with appropriate mechanical properties and excellent biocompatibility, remain an important technical challenge in tissue engineering. The present study reports the strategy to fabricate a 3D nanofibrous scaffold with similar structure to collagen in ECM by combining electrospinning and freeze-drying technique. With the technique reported here, a nanofibrous structure scaffold with hydrophilic and superabsorbent properties can be readily prepared by Gelatin and Polylactic acid (PLA). In wet state the scaffold also shows a super-elastic property, which could bear a compressive strain as high as 80% and recovers its original shape afterwards. Moreover, after 6 days of culture, L-929 cells grow, proliferate and infiltrated into the scaffold. The results suggest that this 3D nanofibrous scaffold would be promising for varied field of tissue engineering application.