A natural and biodegradable scaffold of electrospun eggshell membrane

Abstract

A successful tissue-engineering scaffold must have a highly porous structure and good mechanical stability. High porosity and optimally designed pore size provide structural space for cell accommodation and migration and enable the exchange of nutrients between the scaffold and cell culturing environment. The pore structures should be interconnected with each other for cell growth and proliferation. Soluble eggshell membrane protein (SEP) was prepared from eggshell membrane (ESM) and mixed with poly(-caprolactone) (PCL) solutions. SEP/PCL micro-size-fibre web was fabricated using electrospinning process with the help of a dual nozzle and auxiliary cylindrical electrode. The web was characterized with water contact angle (WCA) and cellular behaviour. The SEP/PCL web, which showed feasibility to fabricate scaffold having adequate hydrophilicity and suitable pore distribution, was a good example mimicking the natural biomaterial.