The effect of electrospun poly(lactic acid) and nanohydroxyapatite nanofibers’ diameter on proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells

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Objective(s): Electrospun nanofibrous mats of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and nanohydroxyapatite (nano-HA) were prepared and proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells on the prepared nanofibers were investigated in this study. Materials and Methods: PLA/nano-HA nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning. The effects of process parameters, such as nano-HA concentration, distance, applied voltage, and flow rate on the mean diameter of electrospun nanofibers were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to determine the mean fiber diameter of produced nanofibers. Mechanical propertes of nanofibrous mats were evaluated using a universal testing machine. Response surface methodology was used to model the fiber diameter of electrospun PLA/nano-HA nanofibers. Results: The average fiber diameter for optimized nanofibers was 125 ± 11 nm. MTT and ALP results showed that optimization of fiber diameter increased the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. Conclusion: It could be concluded that optimization of fiber diameter has beneficial effect on cell proliferation and differentiation. Optimized nanofibers of PLA/nano-HA could be good candidates for bone tissue engineering.