Aligned Fibers Fabricated by Near-Field Electrospinning Influence the Orientation and Differentiation of hPDLSCs for Periodontal Regeneration

: The periodontal ligament (PDL) is a specific connective tissue composed of organized and aligned collagenous fibers that fix the tooth root in the alveolar bone. The alignment of PDL fibers and their function have been neglected in the past, as many studies investigated the regeneration of the periodontium, including alveolar bone and cementum regeneration. In this study, we fabricated biodegradable aligned fibers (e-caprolactone/collagen) by near-field electrospinning (NFE) to control the arrangement of human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs), aiming to guide the oriented regeneration of the periodontal ligament. Compared with random electrospun fibers, the in vitro study investigated the effects of nanotopography on stem cell differentiation of hPDLSCs. The hPDLSCs were identified by flow cytometry, and the multipotency of hPDLSCs was confirmed by successful osteogenic induction. The hPDLSCs were co-cultured with aligned and random fibers. The cell morphology was observed by confocal micrograph and scanning electron micrograph, which showed that aligned fibers could guide the orientation and elongation of hPDLSCs. The expression of periodontal ligament-related genes was higher when cultured with aligned fibers than when cultured with random fibers. In conclusion, via near-field electrospinning, aligned biodegradable fibers were prepared and guided the orientation arrangement of hPDLSCs, providing a better microenvironment for periodontal ligament regeneration. This technology might be further used in the regeneration of tissues in a given direction.