Gelatin-assisted conglutination of aligned polycaprolactone nanofilms into a multilayered fibre-guiding scaffold for periodontal ligament regeneration

The repair or regeneration of well-aligned periodontal ligaments (PDL) remains a challenging clinical task in reconstructive surgeries and regenerative medicine. Topographical cell guidance has been utilized as a tissue-engineering bionic technique and facilitates the geometric design of composite materials. In this investigation, we manufactured multilayered scaffolds by cementing aligned polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun films together using gelatin; the fibre-guiding scaffold mimicked the natural structure of periodontal ligaments and was aimed at promoting the growth of functionally oriented ligamentous fibres in vivo. Experiments in vitro demonstrated that this scaffold could provide good attachment and tissue-mimicking microenvironments for “seeding cells”, that is, human periodontal ligament mesenchyme cells (PDLSCs). Histological and immunofluorescence results indicated that a three-dimensional aligned construct could significantly enhance the angulation of new-born PDL-like tissue and facilitate collagen formation and maturation at periodontal fenestration defects compared to an amorphous PCL embedded scaffold. Multilayered fibre-guiding scaffold made of PCL and gelatin was demonstrated to be applicable for oriented neogenesis of periodontium, and it may represent an important potential application for dental stem cell delivery for periodontal regenerative medicine.