Bone scaffolds from electrospun fiber mats of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) and their blend

In the present contribution, electrospinning was used to fabricate ultrafine fiber mats from poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-2-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), and their 50/50 w/w blend for potential use as bone scaffolds. Cytotoxicity evaluation of these as-spun fiber mats with human osteoblasts (SaOS-2) and mouse fibroblasts (L929) indicated biocompatibility of these materials to both types of cells. The potential for use of these fiber mats as bone scaffolds was further assessed in vitro in terms of the attachment, the proliferation, and the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of SaOS-2 that were seeded or cultured at different times. The cells appeared to adhere well on all types of the fibrous scaffolds after 16 h of cell seeding. During the early stage of the proliferation period (i.e., from ∼24 to 72 h in culture), the viability of the cells increased considerably and appeared to be unchanged with further increase in the time in culture. In comparison with the corresponding solution-cast film scaffolds, all of the fibrous scaffolds exhibited much better support for cell attachment and proliferation. Lastly, among the various fibrous scaffolds investigated, the electrospun fiber mat of the 50/50 w/w PHB/PHBV blend showed the highest ALP activity. These results implied a high potential for use of these electrospun fiber mats as bone scaffolds.