Investigation of an Electrospun Nanofibrous, Degradable Polar Hydrophobic Ionic Polyurethane Patch for Cardiac Tissue Regeneration

Cardiac tissue engineering (CTE) can be used to repair and replace the damaged myocardium due to coronary artery disease. An electrospun nanofibrous, degradable polar hydrophobic ionic polyurethane/polycarbonate polyurethane (D-PHI/PCNU) scaffold was generated and characterized for CTE applications. In addition, induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) were assessed for their compatibility on the D-PHI/PCNU scaffold. D-PHI/PCNU scaffolds had a high cross-linking efficiency, higher surface energy, and lower stiffness relative to PCNU scaffolds. In vivo, the D-PHI/PCNU scaffold degraded relatively slowly, but was well integrated with the surrounding tissue. Furthermore, the aligned D-PHI/PCNU scaffolds were able to support high iPSC-CM viability, adhesion, and expression of functional cardiac markers after a 7-day culture period. The iPSC-CMs had a more elongated and aligned phenotype on aligned D-PHI/PCNU scaffolds as compared to on random D-PHI/PCNU scaffolds and on TCPS. This work demonstrates the potential of using D-PHI/PCNU scaffolds as a platform for CTE.M.A.S