Emulsion electrospun vascular endothelial growth factor encapsulated poly(l-lactic acid-co-ε-caprolactone) nanofibers for sustained release in cardiac tissue engineering

Emulsion electrospinning is a novel approach to fabricate core–shell nanofibers, and it is associated with several advantages such as the alleviation of initial burst release of drugs and it protects the bioactivity of incorporated drugs or proteins. Aiming to develop a sustained release scaffold which could be a promising substrate for cardiovascular tissue regeneration, we encapsulated vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with either of the protective agents, dextran or bovine serum albumin (BSA) into the core of poly(l-lactic acid-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL) nanofibers by emulsion electrospinning. The morphologies and fiber diameters of the emulsion electrospun scaffolds were determined by scanning electron microscope, and the core–shell structure was evaluated by laser scanning confocal microscope. Uniform nanofibers of PLCL, PLCL–VEGF–BSA, and PLCL–VEGF–DEX with fiber diameters in the range of 572 ± 92, 460 ± 63, and 412 ± 61 nm, respectively were obtained by emulsion spinning. The release profile of VEGF in phosphate-buffered saline for up to 672 h (28 days) was evaluated, and the scaffold functionality was established by performing cell proliferations using human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells. Results of our study demonstrated that the emulsion electrospun VEGF containing core–shell structured PLCL nanofibers offered controlled release of VEGF through the emulsion electrospun core–shell structured nanofibers and could be potential substrates for cardiac tissue regeneration.