Application of Electrospun Poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyvalerate]-Ecoflex Mats in Periodontal Regeneration: A Primary Study

Poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyvalerate] (PHBV) is a nature-derived polyester with potential application in tissue engineering scaffolds. However, PHBV is associated with disadvantages including high brittleness, slow degradation, high hydrophobicity, and unsatisfactory biocompatibility. In previous study, we improved the properties of PHBV by blending it with Ecoflex, a synthetic biopolyester with a high flexibility, fast degradation, and comparatively higher hydrophilicity. In vitro cell culture also showed significantly improved adhesion and proliferation of human bone marrow stroma cells with the introduction of Ecoflex. In this study, we sought to investigate the proliferation of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) and periosteum-derived stem cells (PC) on electro spun PHBV-Ecoflex mats. PHBV was co dissolved with Ecoflex in dichloromethane at different mass ratios (PHBV/Ecoflex: 100/0, 70/30, 50/50, 30/70) and electro spun into mats. The cell proliferation of hPDLSCs and hPCs displayed almost the same rules on different mats. The cell number on any Ecoflex-containing mat was higher than that on the pure PHBV mat at all time points. The cell number increased with the Ecoflex concentration in the mat. So we suppose that PHBV-Ecoflex mats could be used in periodontal regeneration.