Fibroblast culture on surface-modified poly (glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone) scaffold for soft tissue regeneration

Novel porous matrices made of a copolymer of glycolide (G) and ε-caprolactone (CL) (51:49, M_w 103 000) was prepared for tissue engineering using a solvent-casting particulate leaching method. Poly(glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PGCL) copolymer showed a rubber-like elastic characteristic, in addition to an amorphous property and fast biodegradability. In order to investigate the effect on the fibroblast culture, PGCL scaffolds of varying porosity and pore size, in addition to surface-hydrolysis or collagen coating, were studied. The large pore-sized scaffold (pore size > 150 μm) demonstrated a much greater cell adhesion and proliferation than the small pore-sized one. In addition, the higher porosity, the better the cell adhesion and proliferation. The surface-hydrolyzed PGCL scaffold showed enhanced cell adhesion and proliferation compared with the unmodified one. Type I collagen coating revealed a more pronounced contribution for increased cell interactions than the surface-hydrolyzed one. These results demonstrate that surface-modified PGCL scaffold can provide a suitable substrate for fibroblast culture, especially in the case of soft tissue regenerations.