Synthesis of blended fibers of poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) and poly(propylene carbonate) scaffolds for tissue engineering

Electrospinning is one of the cheapest and upscalable techniques to mimic the structure of the extracelluar matrix of tissues and organs. Fibers of submicron and nanoscale dimensions were obtained by electrospining blended polymer solutions of poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) and poly(propylene carbonate) using 1,1,1,3,3,3 hexafluoro-2-propanol and 2,2,2 trifluoroethanol as solvents. The resultant fibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and attenuated total reflection-fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. The fibrous scaffold had competent tensile properties and supported the growth and proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes with normal morphology, thus proving its reliability in using it as a potential scaffold for skin regeneration. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.