PVA Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering: Electrospinning and In Vitro Tests

Polyvinil alcohol (PVA) hydrogels are versatile biomaterials. The hydrogel scaffold presents interesting features for soft tissues growth since it presents similar mechanical behavior of such tissues. Several fabrication techniques for the production of scaffolds have been used, such as rapid prototyping and electrospinning. The latter consist of applying a high electric field at the exit of a capillary, causing the stretching of a polymer solution jet that flows out of the capillary. This technology allows the production of films capable of supporting biological growth and is considered as one of the most versatile methods for nanofibers fabrication. Specifically in the medical field, the interest in electrospinning is growing since it enables the production of microporous membranes of nanofibers that have a large potential as scaffolds for tissue engineering. The aim of this work was the preparation of PVA electrospun fiber mats for use as a framework for cartilage treatment. Electrospun PVA porous membranes were obtained from 15 wt% of PVA solution, which were prepared by dissolution, 3 wt% of potassium persulphate (PKSO) and 10 ml absolute ethanol (98%) were added. The electrospinning conditions: the voltage was 15 kV, the flow rate was 0.5 ml/h and the distance from the tip of the needle to the collector was 12 cm. The electrospun fibers were deposited on a flat target, forming a flexible and porous membrane. After the process, the membranes were crosslinked in a chemically inert atmosphere at 100 ºC. The crosslinked membranes were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier Transfom infra-red analysis (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Also, a cytotoxicity assay were perfomed in order to obtain an initial evaluation of the toxicity of the membranes. SEM images revealed a highly porous structure and a dependence on the average fiber diameter with the solution concentration.