Javad Yekrang

Polyurethane (PU) nanofibres are widely used in tissue engineering of elastic tissues such as tendon and ligament, vascular and arterial graftsetc. Alignment of the PU nanofibres is also a desirable property of some tissues to mimic the morphology of the extracellular matrix.Elasthane™55D nanofibres were produced using a common electrospinning method and a rotating drum to collect the aligned fibres.Four flow rates and five collector speeds were investigated for their effects on nanofibres alignment and diameter. Field emission scanningelectron microscopy (FESEM) images of nanofibrous webs were captured, and the diameter and alignment of the nanofibres weremeasured. Finally, stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous tooth (SHED) were seeded on the surface of the PU nanofibres toinvestigate the cell–scaffold interaction. Statistical results showed that the flow rate had a significant effect on the fibres diameter.Enhancing the flow rate led to increasing the diameter of the PU nanofibres. The results showed that the fibres alignment index waspromoted by increasing the rotating speed of the collector. In addition, the morphological observation of SEM images indicated that cellsgrew in the alignment direction of the nanofibres. The results of this study can be applicable to produce and control the aligned PUnanofibres for specific applications such as vascular grafts, esophagus prosthesis, arterial grafts and tissue engineering of tendon and ligament.