Electrospun poly(lactic acid) membranes with defined pore size to enhance cell infiltration

Electrospun membranes are compact structures with small pore sizes that hinder cell infiltration, resulting in membranes with cells attached only to the external surface rather than throughout the entire volume. Thus, there is a need to increase the pore size of electrospun membranes maintaining their structural similarity to the extracellular matrix. In this work, we used glucose crystals embedded in polyethylene oxide (PEO) fibers to create large pores in poly(lactic acid) (PLA) electrospun membranes to allow for cellular infiltration. The PEO fibers containing glucose crystals of different sizes (>50, 50-100 and 100-150 μm) and in varying concentrations (10, 15 and 20 %) were co-electrospun with PLA fibers and subsequently leached out using distilled water. PLA fibrous membranes without glucose crystals were also produced as controls. The membranes were examined for their morphology, mechanical properties, and potential to support the proliferation of fibroblasts. In addition, the immune response to the membranes was evaluated using monocyte-derived macrophages. The glucose crystals were uniformly distributed in the PLA membranes and their removal created open pores without collapsing the structure. Although a reduced Young's modulus was observed for membranes produced using higher glucose crystal concentrations and larger crystal sizes, the structural integrity remained intact, and the values are still suitable for tissue engineering. <i>In vitro</i> results showed that the scaffolds supported the adhesion and proliferation of fibroblasts and the pores created in the PLAmembranes were large enough for fibroblasts infiltration and colonization of the entire scaffold without inducing an inflammatory response.