A multilayered scaffold for regeneration of smooth muscle and connective tissue layers

Carly M. Garrison, Anya Singh-Varma, Alexandra K. Pastino, Joseph A.M. Steele, Joachim Kohn, N. Sanjeeva Murthy, Jean E. Schwarzbauer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tissue regeneration often requires recruitment of different cell types and rebuilding of two or more tissue layers to restore function. Here, we describe the creation of a novel multilayered scaffold with distinct fiber organizations—aligned to unaligned and dense to porous—to template common architectures found in adjacent tissue layers. Electrospun scaffolds were fabricated using a biodegradable, tyrosine-derived terpolymer, yielding densely-packed, aligned fibers that transition into randomly-oriented fibers of increasing diameter and porosity. We demonstrate that differently-oriented scaffold fibers direct cell and extracellular matrix (ECM) organization, and that scaffold fibers and ECM protein networks are maintained after decellularization. Smooth muscle and connective tissue layers are frequently adjacent in vivo; we show that within a single scaffold, the architecture supports alignment of contractile smooth muscle cells and deposition by fibroblasts of a meshwork of ECM fibrils. We rolled a flat scaffold into a tubular construct and, after culture, showed cell viability, orientation, and tissue-specific protein expression in the tube were similar to the flat-sheet scaffold. This scaffold design not only has translational potential for reparation of flat and tubular tissue layers but can also be customized for alternative applications by introducing two or more cell types in different combinations.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)733-744
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Biomedical Materials Research - Part A
Volume109
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2021

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Ceramics and Composites
  • Metals and Alloys
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biomaterials

Keywords

  • complex tissue regeneration
  • extracellular matrix (ECM)
  • multilayered electrospun scaffolds
  • synthetic polymer
  • tubular scaffold

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A multilayered scaffold for regeneration of smooth muscle and connective tissue layers'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this