Natural/ synthetic polymeric membranes preparation with electro spinning method for use in artificial tendon

Tendon injuries are one of the most widely encountered muscle-skeletal system problems caused by sports activity or an accident. The treatment is easy once it is a small defect; however, advanced approaches are needed in more serious conditions such as laceration or tear. While these approaches include using autografts, allografts or xenografts, biodegradable polymeric synthetic grafts are another option for this purpose. It is important to note that both biological and synthetic grafts caused many problems. Tissue engineering approaches are promising as an alternative to the existing treatment options. Tissue engineering ar based on a preparation of a 3D biodegradable scaffold seeded by the cells and implantation to the patient. The most critical issues in scaffold design are 3D structure, biocompatibility, biodegradability and mechanical compliance. For tendon repair and regeneration, scaffolds in fiber or membrane shapes made of different synthetic or natural polymers have been suggested. In the present work, it is aimed to design a scaffolds consist of aligned nanofiber membranes from two different polymers, namely polycaprolactone and silk fibroin. Aligned membranes from both polymers were obtained by electrospinning. As a result of the optimization of processing conditions, the desired alignment was achieved. To have the proper mechanical characteristics, these oriented membranes were combined in different forms as the fiber orientations are perpendicular or parallel to each other. The combined membrane layers were then rolled and glued at the edges in order to obtain spiral shape scaffolds. Optical microscopy and SEM analysis were used to visualize the alignment of membranes as well as the final spiral structure of the scaffolds. The scaffolds were further tested by mechanically to determine the most convenient structural combination of two membranes. Keywords: Tendon, tissue engineering, tissue scaffold, biodegradable polymer, silk fibroin, polycaprolactone, electrospinning