This work was conducted using the facilities of the Biomedical Engineering Department at Florida International University.

1. Electrospinning Collector Setup
<ol>
	<li>Cut the aluminum foil into a rectangular piece.</li>
	<li>Fold the rectangular piece into a rectangular strip, and attach it perpendicular to a flat metal plate with tape (Figure 1). Note: The size of the fiber mat depends on the length and width of the strip. Thus, the strip dimensions can be adjusted as needed.</li>
</ol>
2. Polymeric Solution Preparation
<ol>
	<li>Mix glycerol and dodecanedioic acid (DDA) in 1:1 molar ratio in a beaker at 120 &#176;C for 100 hr to obtain PGD polymer.</li>
	<li>Dissolve poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and gelatin in 65% ethanol with a weight ratio of 1.5:3:95.5 in a 15 ml tube, tighten the cap and heat the mixture in an oven at 60 &#176;C for 1 hr with stirring until it becomes a homogeneous solution (Basal solution).</li>
	<li>For electrospinning, mix the PGD polymer and the basal solution in 4:6 weight ratio. Note: PGD concentration has a big effect on fiber diameter. 30%-50% percent PGD is acceptable to produce fibers longer than 5 cm with increased fiber diameters.</li>
	<li>Add 0.1% riboflavin to the polymeric solution and mix well.</li>
</ol>
3. Electrospinning
<ol>
	<li>Feed the polymeric solution into a 5 ml standard syringe with an 18 G blunted stainless steel needle.</li>
	<li>Insert the syringe into a syringe pump.</li>
	<li>Attach the grounded lead of a high voltage power source to the metal plate and the positively charged lead to the needle.</li>
	<li>Adjust the distance between the needle and the aluminum foil strip to 15 cm.</li>
	<li>Place the syringe pump in an angle of about 15&#176;&#160;with the horizontal to prevent aggregation of the fibers at the front of the strip.</li>
	<li>Turn on the syringe pump and adjust the flow rate of the pump to 0.6 ml/hr.</li>
	<li>Turn on the high voltage power source and set the operating voltage to 14.6 kV.</li>
</ol>
4. Fiber Processing
<ol>
	<li>After the collection is complete, expose the fiber mat to UV light for 60 min for cross-linking.</li>
	<li>Transfer the fiber mat from the aluminum foil strip to a 100&#160;mm Petri dish, and expose it to UV light for another 20 min for sterilization.</li>
	<li>In a biosafety cabinet, cut the fiber mat into round pieces of the same size with a surgical blade and place the pieces into a 24-well plate.</li>
	<li>For cell pre-seeding treatment, immerse fiber samples in 1 ml of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and incubate at 37 &#176;C overnight.</li>
	<li>On the following day, aspirate PBS carefully, add 1 ml of differentiation medium (DMEM/F12, N2, and FGF2) (see recipe in Materials table) to each well and incubate at 37 &#176;C for 3 hr.</li>
	<li>Aspirate differentiation medium carefully, add 0.2 ml of matrigel to each fiber sample and incubate at 37 &#176;C for 30 min. Note: Laminin can also be used for fiber coating. Add 0.2 ml of 20 &#181;g/ml laminin to the fiber and incubate at room temperature for 3 hr.</li>
	<li>Carefully remove excess matrigel from each well. Rinse with 2 ml of differentiation medium once. Note: The fiber samples are ready for cell culture.</li>
</ol>
5. Cell Seeding on Fibers
<ol>
	<li>Add 1 ml of Accutase to the mES cell culture dish and incubate for 10 min at 37 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>After 10 min, the mES cells are detached from the culture dish. Add 4 ml of differentiation medium to the plate. Collect the floating mES cells into a 15&#160;ml tube and pipette cells up and down to break colonies (about 15x).</li>
	<li>Centrifuge at 400 x&#160;g for 5 min and re-suspend cells in 4 ml of differentiation medium.</li>
	<li>Count the cells using a hemocytometer. Transfer 200 &#181;l of the cell suspension into a 15 ml tube and dilute it 10x&#160;with differentiation medium. Transfer 15 &#181;l of the diluted cell suspension to a chamber on the hemocytometer with a cover-slip in place. Count the cells in the 1 mm center square and the four corner squares of the hemocytometer under the microscope. Note: Cell per ml = the average count per square x&#160;the dilution factor x&#160;104</li>
	<li>Place approximately 5 x 104 mES cells onto each well. Slowly drop the cell suspension onto the middle of the fiber samples, instead of sliding off to the side of the well, to prevent the solution from draining off the fiber mat.</li>
	<li>Add 1 ml of differentiation medium to each well, and keep the plate in an incubator at 37 &#176;C and 5% CO2 to allow cells attachment, growth and differentiation.</li>
	<li>Aspirate the old medium from each well and replace with 1 ml of fresh differentiation medium every other day.</li>
</ol>
6. Cell Viability
<ol>
	<li>Aspirate the old medium from each well.</li>
	<li>Mix 1/10th volume of Resazurin fluorescence reagent with culture medium and add 1 ml to each well.</li>
	<li>Incubate at 37 &#176;C and 5% CO2 for 4 hr, protected from direct light.</li>
	<li>After 4 hr, transfer 100 &#181;l 3x of the reagent from each well to a 96-well plate, and then the samples are ready to be measured on a fluorescence spectrophotometer using 560EX nm/590EM filter settings.</li>
</ol>
7. Real Time PCR
<ol>
	<li>After 14 days of culture, add lysis buffer to the samples and isolate total RNA from the cells on the fiber samples.</li>
	<li>Use 4 &#181;l of total RNA to synthesize cDNA in 20 &#181;l reaction scales by reverse transcription.</li>
	<li>Prepare the PCR reaction mixture in each optical tube: 10 &#181;l Master Mix (2x), 0.2 &#181;l dye, 8 &#181;l Nuclease-Free water, 1 &#181;l cDNA, and 1 &#181;l primer (Primers used in this study are listed in Table 1).</li>
	<li>Set up the PCR program: a. 95 &#176;C 2:20 min, 1 cycle b. 95 &#176;C 3 sec&#8594;60&#176; C 1 min, 40 cycle c. 95&#176; C 15 sec, 1 cycle d. 60&#176; C 1 min, 1 cycle e. 95&#176; C 15 sec, 1 cycle. Choose comparative CT method to determine relative gene expression levels.</li>
	<li>After PCR is finished, analyze the real-time PCR results with StepOne software and export the results to Excel.</li>
</ol>

<ol>
	<li>Migneco, F., Huang, Y. -. C., Birla, R. K., Hollister, S. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Poly+(glycerol-dodecanoate),+a+biodegradable+polyester+for+medical+devices+and+tissue+engineering+scaffolds.">Poly (glycerol-dodecanoate), a biodegradable polyester for medical devices and tissue engineering scaffolds.</a> Biomaterials. 30, 6479-6484 (2009).</li><li>Reneker, D. H., Yarin, A. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Electrospinning+jets+and+polymer+nanofibers.">Electrospinning jets and polymer nanofibers.</a> Polymer. 49, 2387-2425 (2008).</li><li>Wang, Y., Ameer, G. A., Sheppard, B. J., Langer, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+tough+biodegradable+elastomer.">A tough biodegradable elastomer.</a> Nature biotechnology. 20, 602-606 (2002).</li><li>Panunzi, S., De Gaetano, A., Mingrone, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Approximate+linear+confidence+and+curvature+of+a+kinetic+model+of+dodecanedioic+acid+in+humans.">Approximate linear confidence and curvature of a kinetic model of dodecanedioic acid in humans.</a> American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology And Metabolism. 289, (2005).</li><li>Park, S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Apparatus+for+preparing+electrospun+nanofibers:+designing+an+electrospinning+process+for+nanofiber+fabrication.">Apparatus for preparing electrospun nanofibers: designing an electrospinning process for nanofiber fabrication.</a> Polymer Internationa l. 56, 1361-1366 (2007).</li><li>Barnes, C. P., Sell, S. A., Boland, E. D., Simpson, D. G., Bowlin, G. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Nanofiber+technology:+designing+the+next+generation+of+tissue+engineering+scaffolds.">Nanofiber technology: designing the next generation of tissue engineering scaffolds.</a> Advanced drug delivery reviews. 59, 1413-1433 (2007).</li><li>Li, W. -. J., Mauck, R. L., Tuan, R. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Electrospun+nanofibrous+scaffolds:+production,+characterization,+and+applications+for+tissue+engineering+and+drug+delivery.">Electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds: production, characterization, and applications for tissue engineering and drug delivery.</a> Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology. 1, 259-275 (2005).</li><li>Pham, Q. P., Sharma, U., Mikos, A. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Electrospinning+of+polymeric+nanofibers+for+tissue+engineering+applications:+a+review.">Electrospinning of polymeric nanofibers for tissue engineering applications: a review.</a> Tissue engineering. 12, 1197-1211 (2006).</li><li>Lim, S. H., Mao, H. -. Q. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Electrospun+scaffolds+for+stem+cell+engineering.">Electrospun scaffolds for stem cell engineering.</a> Advanced drug delivery reviews. 61, 1084-1096 (2009).</li><li>Lowery, J. L., Datta, N., Rutledge, G. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Effect+of+fiber+diameter,+pore+size+and+seeding+method+on+growth+of+human+dermal+fibroblasts+in+electrospun+poly+(epsilon-caprolactone)+fibrous+mats.">Effect of fiber diameter, pore size and seeding method on growth of human dermal fibroblasts in electrospun poly (epsilon-caprolactone) fibrous mats.</a> Biomaterials. 31, 491-504 (2010).</li><li>Tillman, B. W., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+in+vivo+stability+of+electrospun+polycaprolactone-collagen+scaffolds+in+vascular+reconstruction.">The in vivo stability of electrospun polycaprolactone-collagen scaffolds in vascular reconstruction.</a> Biomaterials. 30, 583-588 (2009).</li><li>Ju, Y. M., Choi, J. S., Atala, A., Yoo, J. J., Lee, S. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Bilayered+scaffold+for+engineering+cellularized+blood+vessels.">Bilayered scaffold for engineering cellularized blood vessels.</a> Biomaterials. 31, 4313-4321 (2010).</li><li>McCullen, S. D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+situ+collagen+polymerization+of+layered+cell-seeded+electrospun+scaffolds+for+bone+tissue+engineering+applications.">In situ collagen polymerization of layered cell-seeded electrospun scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications.</a> Tissue Engineering Part C: Methods. 16, 1095-1105 (2010).</li></ol>

No conflicts of interest declared.

The limitations of simple collectors or the complexities of rotating collectors that are currently used for electrospinning increase the restriction of obtaining the desired length and size of fiber mat for some applications. Additionally, transferring fibers from the ground collector to the culture dish or other substrates is a challenge5. In this report, a newly designed collector, made simply by attaching an aluminum foil strip to the grounded collector, was able to obtain large size fiber mats up to 10 cm ...

Electrospinning is one of the effective processing methods to produce micro-to-nanometer size fiber scaffolds. The basic principle of electrospinning involves a Taylor cone of solution that is held at the orifice of a needle by applying high voltage between the tip of the needle and a grounded collector. When the electrostatic repulsion in the solution overcomes the surface tension, a charged fluid jet is ejected out of the needle tip, travels through the air with solvent evaporation, and is finally deposited on the grounded collector. The syringe pump provides a continuous flow of solution emerging from the spinneret and thus multiple copies of the electrospun fibers can be fabricated within a short period of time. During the course of leaving the spinneret to arrive at the collector, the charged jet will undergo stretching and whipping according to a number of parameters that include the viscosity and surface tension of the polymeric solution, the electrostatic force in the solution, and the interaction of the external electric field, etc2.
In the electrospinning process, a collector serves as a conductive substrate where the micro-to-nanometer fibers could be deposited. In this study, a new type of fiber collector was designed to obtain fiber mats with the desired size (length x width). Traditionally, aluminum foil is used as a collector but it is difficult to transfer the fibers from the flat surface to another substrate. The difficulty of harvesting an intact fiber mat from a traditional collector was mainly due to the fact that the electrospun fibers attach strongly to the collector&#39;s surface. Therefore, we modified the collector by folding a piece of aluminum foil into a rectangular strip and attaching it perpendicular to a flat metal plate. The electrospun fibers are stretched across the area between the tip of the strip and the metal plate, which can be easily transferred to another substrate.
Interest in thermally crosslinked elastomeric polymers is rapidly growing because of the pioneering work of Robert Langer&#39;s group, who introduced poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS), a polyester which is analogous to vulcanized rubber in 2002&#160;3. Similar to PGS, we have successfully developed poly(glycerol-dodecanoate) (PGD) by thermal condensation of glycerol and dodecanedioic acid and demonstrated its unique shape memory property1. Unlike stiffer synthetic materials poly(hydroxyl butyrate) or poly(L-lactide) (Young&#39;s moduli of 250 MPa and 660 MPa, respectively), PGD exhibits elastomeric property like rubber, with a Young&#39;s modulus of 1.08 MPa when the temperature is above 37 &#176;C, which is a close match to the in-situ peripheral nerve (0.45 MPa). In addition, PGD is biodegradable and the degradation time can be fine-tuned by varying the ratio of glycerol and dodecanedioic acid. Dodecanedioic acid is a twelve-carbon substance with two terminal carboxylic groups, HOOC(CH2)10COOH. Even numbered dicarboxylic acids like sebacic acid and dodecanedioic acid can be metabolized to acetyl-CoA and enter the tricarboxylic acid (TCA)/(citric acid) cycle. The metabolic product of dicarboxylic acids, succinyl-CoA, is a gluconeogenetic precursor and intermediate of TCA cycle4. Thus, some studies suggested that they could be utilized as an alternative fuel substrate for enteral and parenteral nutrition, especially in the pathological conditions. In addition, PGD exhibits unique shape memory because its glass transition temperature is 31 &#176;C, thus it shows distinct mechanical properties at room temperature and at body temperature.&#160;In sum, PGD is biodegradable, biocompatible, exhibiting unique elastic properties with mechanical properties similar to nerve tissues; therefore, it is a suitable material for nerve tissue engineering applications. In this protocol, the electrospun long fibers spanning a large deposit area were fabricated via the newly-designed collector from PGD. The fiber scaffolds can support the mouse pluripotent stem cells growth and differentiation.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="729">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">Glycerol</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">G7757</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">Dodecanedioic acid</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">D1009</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">Gelatin</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">D1890</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">Poly (ehtylene oxide) (PEO)</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">182028</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">Riboflavin</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">132350250</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">0.10%</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">Mouse embryonic stem cells</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">GlobalStem</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">GSC-5002</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">Matrigel</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Becton Dickinson</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">356234</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">DMEM/F12</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">SH30272.02</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">N2 supplement&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">17502048</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">1%</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">FGF2</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Stemgent</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">03-0002</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">10ng/ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">Accutase</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">A11105-01</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">Phosphate buffered saline (PBS)</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">10010-031&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">Resazurin fluorescence dye&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">62758-13-8&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">SV Total RNA Isolation System</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Promega</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">Z3100</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">GoScript Reverse Transcription System</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Promega</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">A5000</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">GoTaq&#129; qPCR Master Mix</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Promega</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">A6001</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">Syringe pump&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Fisher scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">14-831-200</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="33">
			<td height="33" style="height:33px;width:268px;">High voltage power source&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corporation</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td style="width:167px;">SL30</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">UV light</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Philips</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">308643</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">15W/G15T8</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">Synergy HT Multi-Mode Microplate Reader</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">BioTek</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">Perkin Elmer GeneAmp PCR System 9600</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Perkin Elmer</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">8488</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:268px;">StepOne Real-time PCR System</td>
			<td style="width:175px;">Applied Biosystems</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">4376357</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

electrospun fibrous scaffolds of poly(glycerol-dodecanedioate) for engineering neural tissues from mouse embryonic stem cells

For tissue engineering applications, the preparation of biodegradable and biocompatible scaffolds is the most desirable but challenging task. &#160;Among the various fabrication methods, electrospinning is the most attractive one due to its simplicity and versatility. Additionally, electrospun nanofibers mimic the size of natural extracellular matrix ensuring additional support for cell survival and growth. This study showed the viability of the fabrication of long fibers spanning a larger deposit area for a novel biodegradable and biocompatible polymer named&#160;poly(glycerol-dodecanoate) (PGD)1 by using a newly designed collector for electrospinning. PGD exhibits unique elastic properties with similar mechanical properties to nerve tissues, thus it is suitable for neural tissue engineering applications. The synthesis and fabrication set-up for making fibrous scaffolding materials was simple, highly reproducible, and inexpensive. In biocompatibility testing, cells derived from mouse embryonic stem cells could adhere to and grow on the electrospun PGD fibers. In summary, this protocol provided a versatile fabrication method for making PGD electrospun fibers to support the growth of mouse embryonic stem cell derived neural lineage cells.

The major components of the electrospinning are shown in Figure 1. A large size fiber mat was typically obtained through the perpendicularly attached aluminum foil strip and a flat metal plate. Figure 2 shows the collector design and the electrospinning fiber mat. The width and length can be adjusted for different applications. The length of the fiber made with PGD polymer and basal solution mixture is up to 10 cm. The morphology of electrospun fibers is shown in Figure 3</strong...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Electrospun Fibrous Scaffolds of Polyglycerol-dodecanedioate for Engineering Neural Tissues From Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells at JoVE.com

Electrospun Fibrous Scaffolds of Polyglycerol-dodecanedioate for Engineering Neural Tissues From Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Synthesis and fabrication of electrospun long fibers spanning a larger deposit area via a newly designed collector from a novel biodegradable polymer named poly(glycerol-dodecanoate) (PGD) was reported. The fibers were able to support the growth of cells derived from mouse pluripotent stem cells.

Electrospun Fibrous Scaffolds of Poly(glycerol-dodecanedioate) for Engineering Neural Tissues From Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

For tissue engineering applications, the preparation of biodegradable and biocompatible scaffolds is the most desirable but challenging task. &#160;Among ...

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10.8K Views.  Florida International University. Synthesis and fabrication of electrospun long fibers spanning a larger deposit area via a newly designed collector from a novel biodegradable polymer named poly(glycerol-dodecanoate) (PGD) was reported. The fibers were able to support the growth of cells derived from mouse pluripotent stem cells.

Video: Electrospun Fibrous Scaffolds of Polyglycerol-dodecanedioate for Engineering Neural Tissues From Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Elastomeric PGS Scaffolds in Arterial Tissue Engineering

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading cause of mortality in the US and especially, coronary artery disease increases with an aging population and increasing obesity1. Currently, bypass surgery using autologous vessels, allografts, and synthetic grafts are known as a commonly used for arterial substitutes2. However, these grafts have limited applications when an inner diameter of arteries is less than 6 mm due to low availability, thrombotic complications, compliance mismatch, and late intimal hyperplasia3,4. To overcome these limitations, tissue engineering has been successfully applied as a promising alternative to develop small-diameter arterial constructs that are nonthrombogenic, robust, and compliant. Several previous studies have developed small-diameter arterial constructs with tri-lamellar structure, excellent mechanical properties and burst pressure comparable to native arteries5,6. While high tensile strength and burst pressure by increasing collagen production from a rigid material or cell sheet scaffold, these constructs still had low elastin production and compliance, which is a major problem to cause graft failure after implantation. Considering these issues, we hypothesized that an elastometric biomaterial combined with mechanical conditioning would provide elasticity and conduct mechanical signals more efficiently to vascular cells, which increase extracellular matrix production and support cellular orientation.
The objective of this report is to introduce a fabrication technique of porous tubular scaffolds and a dynamic mechanical conditioning for applying them to arterial tissue engineering. We used a biodegradable elastomer, poly (glycerol sebacate) (PGS)7 for fabricating porous tubular scaffolds from the salt fusion method. Adult primary baboon smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were seeded on the lumen of scaffolds, which cultured in our designed pulsatile flow bioreactor for 3 weeks. PGS scaffolds had consistent thickness and randomly distributed macro- and micro-pores. Mechanical conditioning from pulsatile flow bioreactor supported SMC orientation and enhanced ECM production in scaffolds. These results suggest that elastomeric scaffolds and mechanical conditioning of bioreactor culture may be a promising method for arterial tissue engineering.

Elastomeric PGS scaffolds with vascular smooth muscle cells cultured in a pulsatile flow bioreactor may lead to promising small-diameter arterial constructs with native ECM production in a relatively short culture period.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading cause of mortality in the US and especially, coronary artery disease increases with an aging population and ...

Preparation of 3D Fibrin Scaffolds for Stem Cell Culture Applications

Stem cells are found in naturally occurring 3D microenvironments in vivo, which are often referred to as the stem cell niche 1. Culturing stem cells inside of 3D biomaterial scaffolds provides a way to accurately mimic these microenvironments, providing an advantage over traditional 2D culture methods using polystyrene as well as a method for engineering replacement tissues 2. While 2D tissue culture polystrene has been used for the majority of cell culture experiments, 3D biomaterial scaffolds can more closely replicate the microenvironments found in vivo by enabling more accurate establishment of cell polarity in the environment and possessing biochemical and mechanical properties similar to soft tissue.3 A variety of naturally derived and synthetic biomaterial scaffolds have been investigated as 3D environments for supporting stem cell growth. While synthetic scaffolds can be synthesized to have a greater range of mechanical and chemical properties and often have greater reproducibility, natural biomaterials are often composed of proteins and polysaccharides found in the extracelluar matrix and as a result contain binding sites for cell adhesion and readily support cell culture. Fibrin scaffolds, produced by polymerizing the protein fibrinogen obtained from plasma, have been widely investigated for a variety of tissue engineering applications both in vitro and in vivo 4. Such scaffolds can be modified using a variety of methods to incorporate controlled release systems for delivering therapeutic factors 5. Previous work has shown that such scaffolds can be used to successfully culture embryonic stem cells and this scaffold-based culture system can be used to screen the effects of various growth factors on the differentiation of the stem cells seeded inside 6,7.
 This protocol details the process of polymerizing fibrin scaffolds from fibrinogen solutions using the enzymatic activity of thrombin. The process takes 2 days to complete, including an overnight dialysis step for the fibrinogen solution to remove citrates that inhibit polymerization. These detailed methods rely on fibrinogen concentrations determined to be optimal for embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell culture. Other groups have further investigated fibrin scaffolds for a wide range of cell types and applications - demonstrating the versatility of this approach 8-12.

This work details the preparation of 3D fibrin scaffolds for culturing and differentiating plutipotent stem cells. Such scaffolds can be used to screen the effects of various biological compounds on stem cell behavior as well as modified to contain drug delivery systems.

Stem cells are found in naturally occurring 3D microenvironments in vivo, which are often referred to as the stem cell niche 1. Culturing stem cells ...

Postproduction Processing of Electrospun Fibres for Tissue Engineering

Electrospinning is a commonly used and versatile method to produce scaffolds (often biodegradable) for 3D tissue engineering.1, 2, 3 Many tissues in vivo undergo biaxial distension to varying extents such as skin, bladder, pelvic floor and even the hard palate as children grow. In producing scaffolds for these purposes there is a need to develop scaffolds of appropriate biomechanical properties (whether achieved without or with cells) and which are sterile for clinical use. The focus of this paper is not how to establish basic electrospinning parameters (as there is extensive literature on electrospinning) but on how to modify spun scaffolds post production to make them fit for tissue engineering purposes - here thickness, mechanical properties and sterilisation (required for clinical use) are considered and we also describe how cells can be cultured on scaffolds and subjected to biaxial strain to condition them for specific applications.
Electrospinning tends to produce thin sheets; as the electrospinning collector becomes coated with insulating fibres it becomes a poor conductor such that fibres no longer deposit on it. Hence we describe approaches to produce thicker structures by heat or vapour annealing increasing the strength of scaffolds but not necessarily the elasticity. Sequential spinning of scaffolds of different polymers to achieve complex scaffolds is also described. Sterilisation methodologies can adversely affect strength and elasticity of scaffolds. We compare three methods for their effects on the biomechanical properties on electrospun scaffolds of poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA).
Imaging of cells on scaffolds and assessment of production of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins by cells on scaffolds is described. Culturing cells on scaffolds in vitro can improve scaffold strength and elasticity but the tissue engineering literature shows that cells often fail to produce appropriate ECM when cultured under static conditions. There are few commercial systems available that allow one to culture cells on scaffolds under dynamic conditioning regimes - one example is the Bose Electroforce 3100 which can be used to exert a conditioning programme on cells in scaffolds held using mechanical grips within a media filled chamber.4 An approach to a budget cell culture bioreactor for controlled distortion in 2 dimensions is described. We show that cells can be induced to produce elastin under these conditions. Finally assessment of the biomechanical properties of processed scaffolds cultured with or without cells is described.

Electrospun scaffolds can be processed post production for tissue engineering applications. Here we describe methods for spinning complex scaffolds (by consecutive spinning), for making thicker scaffolds (by multi-layering using heat or vapour annealing), for achieving sterility (aseptic production or sterilisation post production) and for achieving appropriate biomechanical properties.

Electrospinning is a commonly used and versatile method to produce  scaffolds (often biodegradable) for 3D tissue engineering.1, 2, 3 Many tissues in vivo ...

Engineering Skeletal Muscle Tissues from Murine Myoblast Progenitor Cells and Application of Electrical Stimulation

Engineered muscle tissues can be used for several different purposes, which include the production of tissues for use as a disease model in vitro, e.g. to study pressure ulcers, for regenerative medicine and as a meat alternative 1. The first reported 3D muscle constructs have been made many years ago and pioneers in the field are Vandenburgh and colleagues 2,3. Advances made in muscle tissue engineering are not only the result from the vast gain in knowledge of biochemical factors, stem cells and progenitor cells, but are in particular based on insights gained by researchers that physical factors play essential roles in the control of cell behavior and tissue development. State-of-the-art engineered muscle constructs currently consist of cell-populated hydrogel constructs. In our lab these generally consist of murine myoblast progenitor cells, isolated from murine hind limb muscles or a murine myoblast cell line C2C12, mixed with a mixture of collagen/Matrigel and plated between two anchoring points, mimicking the muscle ligaments. Other cells may be considered as well, e.g. alternative cell lines such as L6 rat myoblasts 4, neonatal muscle derived progenitor cells 5, cells derived from adult muscle tissues from other species such as human 6 or even induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) 7. Cell contractility causes alignment of the cells along the long axis of the construct 8,9 and differentiation of the muscle progenitor cells after approximately one week of culture. Moreover, the application of electrical stimulation can enhance the process of differentiation to some extent 8. Because of its limited size (8 x 2 x 0.5 mm) the complete tissue can be analyzed using confocal microscopy to monitor e.g. viability, differentiation and cell alignment. Depending on the specific application the requirements for the engineered muscle tissue will vary; e.g. use for regenerative medicine requires the up scaling of tissue size and vascularization, while to serve as a meat alternative translation to other species is necessary.

Engineered muscle tissue has great potential in regenerative medicine, as disease model and also as an alternative source for meat. Here we describe the engineering of a muscle construct, in this case from mouse myoblast progenitor cells, and the stimulation by electrical pulses.

Engineered muscle tissues can be used for several different purposes, which include the production of tissues for use as a disease model in vitro, e.g. to ...

Electrospinning Growth Factor Releasing Microspheres into Fibrous Scaffolds

This procedure describes a method to fabricate a multifaceted substrate to direct nerve cell growth. This system incorporates mechanical, topographical, adhesive and chemical signals. Mechanical properties are controlled by the type of material used to fabricate the electrospun fibers. In this protocol we use 30% methacrylated Hyaluronic Acid (HA), which has a tensile modulus of ~500 Pa, to produce a soft fibrous scaffold. Electrospinning on to a rotating mandrel produces aligned fibers to create a topographical cue. Adhesion is achieved by coating the scaffold with fibronectin. The primary challenge addressed herein is providing a chemical signal throughout the depth of the scaffold for extended periods. This procedure describes fabricating&#160;poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres that contain Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and directly impregnating the scaffold with these microspheres during the electrospinning process. Due to the harsh production environment, including high sheer forces and electrical charges, protein viability is measured after production. The system provides protein release for over 60 days and has been shown to promote primary nerve cell growth.

This protocol combines electrospinning and microspheres to develop tissue engineered scaffolds to direct neurons. Nerve growth factor was encapsulated within PLGA microspheres and electrospun into Hyaluronic Acid (HA) fibrous scaffolds. The protein bioactivity was tested by seeding the scaffolds with primary chick Dorsal Root Ganglia and culturing for 4-6 days.

This procedure describes a method to fabricate a multifaceted substrate to direct nerve cell growth.  This system incorporates mechanical, topographical, ...

Optimizing Attachment of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Poly(&#949;-caprolactone) Electrospun Yarns

Research into biomaterials and tissue engineering often includes cell-based in vitro investigations, which require initial knowledge of the starting cell number. While researchers commonly reference their seeding density this does not necessarily indicate the actual number of cells that have adhered to the material in question. This is particularly the case for materials, or scaffolds, that do not cover the base of standard cell culture well plates. This study investigates the initial attachment of human mesenchymal stem cells seeded at a known number onto electrospun poly(&#949;-caprolactone) yarn after 4 hr in culture. Electrospun yarns were held within several different set-ups, including bioreactor vessels rotating at 9 rpm, cell culture inserts positioned in low binding well plates and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) troughs placed within petri dishes. The latter two were subjected to either static conditions or positioned on a shaker plate (30 rpm). After 4 hr incubation at 37&#160;oC, 5% CO2, the location of seeded cells was determined by cell DNA assay. Scaffolds were removed from their containers and placed in lysis buffer. The media fraction was similarly removed and centrifuged &#8211; the supernatant discarded and pellet broken up with lysis buffer. Lysis buffer was added to each receptacle, or well, and scraped to free any cells that may be present. The cell DNA assay determined the percentage of cells present within the scaffold, media and well fractions. Cell attachment was low for all experimental set-ups, with greatest attachment (30%) for yarns held within cell culture inserts and subjected to shaking motion. This study raises awareness to the actual number of cells attaching to scaffolds irrespective of the stated cell seeding density.

Optimizing Attachment of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Poly(&amp;#949;-caprolactone) Electrospun Yarns

This article describes a range of set-ups for seeding human mesenchymal stem cells onto materials, in this case electrospun yarns, that do not cover the base of standard culture well plates in order to maximize and quantify the number of cells that initially attach compared to the known seeding density.

Research into biomaterials and tissue engineering often includes cell-based in vitro investigations, which require initial knowledge of the starting cell ...

Electrospun Nanofiber Scaffolds with Gradations in Fiber Organization

The goal of this protocol is to report a simple method for generating nanofiber scaffolds with gradations in fiber organization and test their possible applications in controlling cell morphology/orientation. Nanofiber organization is controlled with a new fabrication apparatus that enables the gradual decrease of fiber organization in a scaffold. Changing the alignment of fibers is achieved through decreasing deposition time of random electrospun fibers on a uniaxially aligned fiber mat. By covering the collector with a moving barrier/mask, along the same axis as fiber deposition, the organizational structure is easily controlled. For tissue engineering purposes, adipose-derived stem cells can be seeded to these scaffolds. Stem cells undergo morphological changes as a result of their position on the varied organizational structure, and can potentially differentiate into different cell types depending on their locations. Additionally, the graded organization of fibers enhances the biomimicry of nanofiber scaffolds so they more closely resemble the natural orientations of collagen nanofibers at tendon-to-bone insertion site compared to traditional scaffolds. Through nanoencapsulation, the gradated fibers also afford the possibility to construct chemical gradients in fiber scaffolds, and thereby further strengthen their potential applications in fast screening of cell-materials interaction and interfacial tissue regeneration. This technique enables the production of continuous gradient scaffolds, but it also can potentially produce fibers in discrete steps by controlling the movement of the moving barrier/mask in a discrete fashion.

Here, we present a protocol to fabricate electrospun nanofiber scaffolds with gradated organization of fibers and explore their applications in regulating cell morphology/orientation. Gradients with regard to physical and chemical properties of the nanofiber scaffolds offer a wide variety of applications in the biomedical field.

The goal of this protocol is to report a simple method for generating nanofiber scaffolds with gradations in fiber organization and test their possible ...

Generation of ESC-derived Mouse Airway Epithelial Cells Using Decellularized Lung Scaffolds

Lung lineage differentiation requires integration of complex environmental cues that include growth factor signaling, cell-cell interactions and cell-matrix interactions. Due to this complexity, recapitulation of lung development in vitro to promote differentiation of stem cells to lung epithelial cells has been challenging. In this protocol, decellularized lung scaffolds are used to mimic the 3-dimensional environment of the lung and generate stem cell-derived airway epithelial cells. Mouse embryonic stem cell are first differentiated to the endoderm lineage using an embryoid body (EB) culture method with activin A. Endoderm cells are then seeded onto decellularized scaffolds and cultured at air-liquid interface for up to 21 days. This technique promotes differentiation of seeded cells to functional airway epithelial cells (ciliated cells, club cells, and basal cells) without additional growth factor supplementation. This culture setup is defined, serum-free, inexpensive, and reproducible. Although there is limited contamination from non-lung endoderm lineages in culture, this protocol only generates airway epithelial populations and does not give rise to alveolar epithelial cells. Airway epithelia generated with this protocol can be used to study cell-matrix interactions during lung organogenesis and for disease modeling or drug-discovery platforms of airway-related pathologies such as cystic fibrosis.

This protocol efficiently directs mouse embryonic stem cell-derived definitive endoderm to mature airway epithelial cells. This differentiation technique uses 3-dimensional decellularized lung scaffolds to direct lung lineage specification, in a defined, serum-free culture setting.

Lung lineage differentiation requires integration of complex environmental cues that include growth factor signaling, cell-cell interactions and ...

Microfluidic Bioprinting for Engineering Vascularized Tissues and Organoids

Engineering vascularized tissue constructs and organoids has been historically challenging. Here we describe a novel method based on microfluidic bioprinting to generate a scaffold with multilayer interlacing hydrogel microfibers. To achieve smooth bioprinting, a core-sheath microfluidic printhead containing a composite bioink formulation extruded from the core flow and the crosslinking solution carried by the sheath flow, was designed and fitted onto the bioprinter. By blending gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) with alginate, a polysaccharide that undergoes instantaneous ionic crosslinking in the presence of select divalent ions, followed by a secondary photocrosslinking of the GelMA component to achieve permanent stabilization, a microfibrous scaffold could be obtained using this bioprinting strategy. Importantly, the endothelial cells encapsulated inside the bioprinted microfibers can form the lumen-like structures resembling the vasculature over the course of culture for 16 days. The endothelialized microfibrous scaffold may be further used as a vascular bed to construct a vascularized tissue through subsequent seeding of the secondary cell type into the interstitial space of the microfibers. Microfluidic bioprinting provides a generalized strategy in convenient engineering of vascularized tissues at high fidelity.

We provide a generalized protocol based on a microfluidic bioprinting strategy for engineering a microfibrous vascular bed, where a secondary cell type could be further seeded into the interstitial space of this microfibrous structure to generate vascularized tissues and organoids.

Engineering vascularized tissue constructs and organoids has been historically challenging. Here we describe a novel method based on microfluidic ...

Two Methods for Decellularization of Plant Tissues for Tissue Engineering Applications

The autologous, synthetic, and animal-derived grafts currently used as scaffolds for tissue replacement have limitations due to low availability, poor biocompatibility, and cost. Plant tissues have favorable characteristics that make them uniquely suited for use as scaffolds, such as high surface area, excellent water transport and retention, interconnected porosity, preexisting vascular networks, and a wide range of mechanical properties. Two successful methods of plant decellularization for tissue engineering applications are described here. The first method is based on detergent baths to remove cellular matter, which is similar to previously established methods used to clear mammalian tissues. The second is a detergent-free method adapted from a protocol that isolates leaf vasculature and involves the use of a heated bleach and salt bath to clear the leaves and stems. Both methods yield scaffolds with comparable mechanical properties and low cellular metabolic impact, thus allowing the user to select the protocol which better suits their intended application.

Here we present, and contrast two protocols used to decellularize plant tissues: a detergent-based approach and a detergent-free approach. Both methods leave behind the extracellular matrix of the plant tissues used, which can then be utilized as scaffolds for tissue engineering applications.

The autologous, synthetic, and animal-derived grafts currently used as scaffolds for tissue replacement have limitations due to low availability, poor ...