Hierarchical electrospun tendon/ligament-inspired scaffolds can modify fibroblasts morphology in static and dynamic cultures

The morphological arrangement of scaffold is fundamental to drive cell growth and regeneration of collagen extracellular matrix. Electrospinning is a very promising technique to produce nanofibrous scaffolds able to guide cells in the regeneration of injured tissues. We developed a resorbable electrospun scaffold mimicking the hierarchical structure of tendons and ligaments. The aim of the present study was to investigate if hierarchically structured poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and collagen (Coll) electrospun scaffolds can induce morphological modifications in human fibroblasts, while cultured in static and dynamic conditions. Different imaging techniques such as high-resolution x-ray computed tomography (XCT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fluorescence microscopy and histology were combined to assess the potential of such scaffolds.