Organized nanofibrous scaffolds to mimic the macroscopic curvature of the meniscus

The menisci are crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous tissues featuring highly aligned collagen arranged in a circumferential fashion to allow transmission of loads across the knee joint. To mimic this macroscopic orientation, we developed a novel electrospinning method to collect circumferentially aligned (CircAl) fibers, quantified their structure and mechanics, and compared them to linearly aligned (LinAl) scaffolds. Fiber orientation of CircAl scaffolds varied considerably as a function of position (p<;0.05). Conversely, LinAl fibers did not vary over a similar range (p>;0.05). Alterations in cellular alignment on a macroscopic scale were observed on the CircAl scaffolds. Mechanical analysis of the CircAl scaffolds revealed significant interactions between scaffold length and region (p<;0.05). No such differences could be detected in LinAl specimens (p>;0.05). In conclusion, we developed electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds with a spatially varying macroscopic fiber orientation, creating a gradient in fiber alignment and differences in tensile properties over a macroscopic scale. These organized nanofibrous scaffolds can potentially direct the formation of an anatomic meniscus construct with structure and function that vary across a large anatomic expanse.