Reduced Fibroblast Activation on Electrospun Polycaprolactone Scaffolds. 2023

Joe P Woodley, and Daniel W Lambert, and Ilida Ortega Asencio
The School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TA, UK.

In vivo, quiescent fibroblasts reside in three-dimensional connective tissues and are activated in response to tissue injury before proliferating rapidly and becoming migratory and contractile myofibroblasts. When deregulated, chronic activation drives fibrotic disease. Fibroblasts cultured on stiff 2D surfaces display a partially activated phenotype, whilst many 3D environments limit fibroblast activation. Cell mechanotransduction, spreading, polarity, and integrin expression are controlled by material mechanical properties and micro-architecture. Between 3D culture systems, these features are highly variable, and the challenge of controlling individual properties without altering others has led to an inconsistent picture of fibroblast behaviour. Electrospinning offers greater control of mechanical properties and microarchitecture making it a valuable model to study fibroblast activation behaviour in vitro. Here, we present a comprehensive characterisation of the activation traits of human oral fibroblasts grown on a microfibrous scaffold composed of electrospun polycaprolactone. After over 7 days in the culture, we observed a reduction in proliferation rates compared to cells cultured in 2D, with low KI67 expression and no evidence of cellular senescence. A-SMA mRNA levels fell, and the expression of ECM protein-coding genes also decreased. Electrospun fibrous scaffolds, therefore, represent a tuneable platform to investigate the mechanisms of fibroblast activation and their roles in fibrotic disease.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries

Related Publications

Joe P Woodley, and Daniel W Lambert, and Ilida Ortega Asencio
March 2007, Tissue engineering,
Joe P Woodley, and Daniel W Lambert, and Ilida Ortega Asencio
December 2020, Materialia,
Joe P Woodley, and Daniel W Lambert, and Ilida Ortega Asencio
April 2022, Polymers,
Joe P Woodley, and Daniel W Lambert, and Ilida Ortega Asencio
August 2009, Journal of nanoscience and nanotechnology,
Joe P Woodley, and Daniel W Lambert, and Ilida Ortega Asencio
December 2014, Carbohydrate polymers,
Joe P Woodley, and Daniel W Lambert, and Ilida Ortega Asencio
October 2022, ACS applied materials & interfaces,
Joe P Woodley, and Daniel W Lambert, and Ilida Ortega Asencio
June 2014, Journal of biomedical materials research. Part A,
Joe P Woodley, and Daniel W Lambert, and Ilida Ortega Asencio
August 2021, Materials (Basel, Switzerland),
Joe P Woodley, and Daniel W Lambert, and Ilida Ortega Asencio
February 2006, Journal of nanoscience and nanotechnology,
Joe P Woodley, and Daniel W Lambert, and Ilida Ortega Asencio
January 2021, Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials,
Copied contents to your clipboard!