Fabrication of electrospun polycaprolactone biocomposites reinforced with chitosan for the proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells

Biocomposites composed of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) fibers and chitosan were obtained by two different fabrication methods: a two-step layer-by-layer technique and a co-electrospinning process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and electron microscopy indicated that chitosan powders were embedded in the electrospun PCL mat. The resulting composites exhibited improved mechanical properties with an increase of about 75% in Young's modulus when compared with the pure PCL fiber mats. In addition, the fabricated biocomposites showed various synergistic effects including enhanced water absorption and hydrophilic properties. The biological response of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on the biocomposites was superior to that on pure PCL in terms of improved cell attachment, higher proliferation, and morphological homogeneity. After 7 days of culture, cell proliferation was about 25% greater than on pure PCL. These observations suggest that chitosan-supplemented biocomposites would make excellent materials for tissue engineering applications.