Ozonation has been proved as a viable surface modification technique providing certain properties to the scaffolds that are essential in tissue engineering. However, the ozone (O3) treatment of PCL scaffolds in aqueous environments has not yet been presented. O3 treatment performed in aqueous environments is more effective compared with traditional, executed in ambient air treatment due to more abundant production of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) within the O3 reaction with water molecules. During interaction with •OH, the scaffold acquires functional groups which improve wettability properties and encapsulate growth factors. In this study, a poly(ε)caprolactone (PCL) scaffold was fabricated using solution electrospinning and was subsequently ozonated in a water reactor. The O3 treatment resulted in the expected occurrence of oxygen-containing functional groups, which improved scaffold wettability by almost 27% and enhanced cell proliferation for up to 14 days. The PCL scaffold was able to withhold 120 min of O3 treatment, maintaining fibrous morphology and mechanical properties.
Keywords: IGF-1; electrospun scaffold; hMDSC; ozone treatment; poly(ε)caprolactone; tissue engineering.