Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31798944›Full record

ArticleBiomaterials research2019

3D printed mesh reinforcements enhance the mechanical properties of electrospun scaffolds.

Nicholas W Pensa, Andrew S Curry, Paul P Bonvallet, Nathan F Bellis, Kayla M Rettig, Michael S Reddy, Alan W Eberhardt, Susan L Bellis

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Biomaterials research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 51 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Nicholas W Pensa *1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
Andrew S Curry *1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
Paul P Bonvallet2Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
Nathan F Bellis2Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
Kayla M Rettig1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
Michael S Reddy3School of Dentistry, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.
Alan W Eberhardt1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
Susan L Bellis2Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5071-527X
University of Alabama at Birmingham · USUniversity of California, San Francisco · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is substantial interest in electrospun scaffolds as substrates for tissue regeneration and repair due to their fibrous, extracellular matrix-like composition with interconnected porosity, cost-effective production, and scalability. However, a common limitation of these scaffolds is their inherently low mechanical strength and stiffness, restricting their use in some clinical applications. In this study we developed a novel technique for 3D printing a mesh reinforcement on electrospun scaffolds to improve their mechanical properties.

methodsA poly (lactic acid) (PLA) mesh was 3D-printed directly onto electrospun scaffolds composed of a 40:60 ratio of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) to gelatin, respectively. PLA grids were printed onto the electrospun scaffolds with either a 6 mm or 8 mm distance between the struts. Scanning electron microscopy was utilized to determine if the 3D printing process affected the archtitecture of the electrospun scaffold. Tensile testing was used to ascertain mechanical properties (strength, modulus, failure stress, ductility) of both unmodified and reinforced electrospun scaffolds. An in vivo bone graft model was used to assess biocompatibility. Specifically, reinforced scaffolds were used as a membrane cover for bone graft particles implanted into rat calvarial defects, and implant sites were examined histologically.

resultsWe determined that the tensile strength and elastic modulus were markedly increased, and ductility reduced, by the addition of the PLA meshes to the electrospun scaffolds. Furthermore, the scaffolds maintained their matrix-like structure after being reinforced with the 3D printed PLA. There was no indication at the graft/tissue interface that the reinforced electrospun scaffolds elicited an immune or foreign body response upon implantation into rat cranial defects.

conclusion3D-printed mesh reinforcements offer a new tool for enhancing the mechanical strength of electrospun scaffolds while preserving the advantageous extracellular matrix-like architecture. The modification of electrospun scaffolds with 3D-printed reinforcements is expected to expand the range of clinical applications for which electrospun materials may be suitable.

Indexed as

3D printingElectrospun scaffoldsMechanical propertiesPolycaprolactoneTissue regeneration

Identifiers

PMID31798944
PMCPMC6884787
OpenAlexW2990566639

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.