Materials science & engineering. C, Materials for biological applicationsNov 26, 2013

Improving nanofiber scaffolds with collagen to support skin tissue growth

Regenerative Health Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 4, 2026

Abstract

A tri-polymer composite nanofibrous scaffold of polycaprolactone (PCL), gelatin, and collagen type I was successfully fabricated for skin tissue engineering.

The fiber diameter increased and pore size decreased as the concentration of collagen type I was raised from 0.2% to 1.5%.
Surface modification of the PCL/gelatin scaffold by collagen type I was confirmed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis.
L929 mouse fibroblast cells demonstrated high viability and proliferation on the collagen type I-modified scaffold, as shown by the MTT assay.
Cell adhesion and characteristic morphology of L929 fibroblasts were observed on the nanofiber mesh of the modified scaffold.
The collagen type I-modified PCL/gelatin scaffold may maintain the shape of fibroblasts and support good cell proliferation.

Simplified

In the present study, a tri-polymer polycaprolactone (PCL)/gelatin/collagen type I composite nanofibrous scaffold has been fabricated by electrospinning for skin tissue engineering and wound healing applications. Firstly, PCL/gelatin nanofibrous scaffold was fabricated by electrospinning using a low cost solvent mixture [chloroform/methanol for PCL and acetic acid (80% v/v) for gelatin], and then the nanofibrous PCL/gelatin scaffold was modified by collagen type I (0.2-1.5wt.%) grafting. Morphology of the collagen type I-modified PCL/gelatin composite scaffold that was analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), showed that the fiber diameter was increased and pore size was decreased by increasing the concentration of collagen type I. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis indicated the surface modification of PCL/gelatin scaffold by collagen type I immobilization on the surface of the scaffold. MTT assay demonstrated the viability and high proliferation rate of L929 mouse fibroblast cells on the collagen type I-modified composite scaffold. FE-SEM analysis of cell-scaffold construct illustrated the cell adhesion of L929 mouse fibroblasts on the surface of scaffold. Characteristic cell morphology of L929 was also observed on the nanofiber mesh of the collagen type I-modified scaffold. Above results suggest that the collagen type I-modified PCL/gelatin scaffold was successful in maintaining characteristic shape of fibroblasts, besides good cell proliferation. Therefore, the fibroblast seeded PCL/gelatin/collagen type I composite nanofibrous scaffold might be a potential candidate for wound healing and skin tissue engineering applications.

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Improving nanofiber scaffolds with collagen to support skin tissue growth

Abstract

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