A biologically inspired hierarchical PCL/F127 scaffold for esophagus tissue repair

Abstract Specific structures of esophagus play an important role in specific functions. However, current esophageal tissue engineering scaffolds replicate them poorly. To address this issue, the objective of this study is to fabricate a hierarchical PCL/F127 scaffold inspired by the natural esophageal structure. The hierarchical scaffold consists of aligned fibers in micro-size and thin film with nano-sized pores through combining E-jetting and E-spraying. The aligned fibers of scaffold guide the orientation and induce the elongation of fibroblasts, mimicking the uniformly oriented esophageal muscles. Furthermore, the film functioned as a protective barrier to replicate the esophageal mucosa. Meanwhile, the film also increases cell adhesion area, hence, improving cell proliferation. These two features of the fabricated hierarchical scaffold mimic the structure of natural esophagus. Moreover, fabricated hierarchical scaffold possesses comparable mechanical properties to natural esophagus. These results prove the potential of fabricated scaffold for esophagus tissue repair.