Journal of Textile Research ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (03): 9-17.doi: 10.13475/j.fzxb.20250903701

• Biomedical Materials • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Structural regulation and physical guidance of chitosan/polycaprolactone oriented nanofiber membrane

LIU Jinzhi1, ZHAO Huihui1, WU Huanyou2, ZHANG Jianming2, GAO Jing1()   

  1. 1 Key Laboratory of Biomedical Textile Materials and Technology of Textile Industry, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
    2 Hantech Medical Device Co., Ltd., Ningbo, Zhejiang 315326, China
  • Received:2025-09-09 Revised:2025-11-28 Online:2026-03-15 Published:2026-03-15
  • Contact: GAO Jing E-mail:gao2001jing@dhu.edu.cn

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Abstract:

Objective In order to address the lack of in-depth investigation into the relationship among electrospinning parameters, nanofiber morphology, and cell behavior, this study systematically investigates the influence of key electrospinning parameters on the morphological structure of chitosan/polycaprolactone (CS/PCL) nanofiber membranes and evaluates the physical guidance effect of the oriented nanofiber membrane on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), providing fundamental theoretical support for the design of neural tissue engineering scaffolds.

Method CS/PCL nanofiber membranes were prepared via electrospinning. The influence of key parameters (receiving distance, outflow velocity, receiving roller speed) on membrane morphology was investigated to screen optimal fabrication conditions. The biocompatibility of the nanofiber membranes was evaluated using CCK-8 and live/dead assays, and the physical guidance effect on MSCs was assessed by observing cell adhesion, morphology, and alignment on the oriented nanofiber membranes via immunofluorescence staining and gradient dehydration followed by scanning electron microscopy observation.

Results The optimization of electrospinning parameters revealed that the synergistic effect between receiving distance and outflow velocity is crucial for obtaining uniform fibers. Under a receiving distance of 16 cm and an outflow velocity of 0.8 mL/h, nanofibers with an average diameter of 274 nm and uniform morphology were successfully prepared. Meanwhile, the receiving roller speed was found to be the key parameter for regulating fiber orientation. As the receiving roller speed increased from 1 500 r/min to 2 500 r/min, the fiber orientation degree demonstrated significant improvement. However, when the receiving roller speed was further increased to 3 000 r/min, excessive mechanical stress caused disorder in fiber alignment, resulting in a decrease in orientation degree. The resulting CS/PCL nanofiber membranes exhibited good biocompatibility and had a certain promoting effect on the proliferation of MSCs. More importantly, cells on the highly oriented nanofiber membrane adhered well and aligned along the oriented direction of the fibers, exhibiting a pronounced directional extension behavior. Furthermore, cells displayed an elongated morphology closely resembling that of neuronal axons, indicating that the oriented nanofiber membrane has the potential to promote neural differentiation of MSCs.

Conclusion This study successfully fabricated highly oriented CS/PCL nanofiber membrane with excellent morphological characteristics through systematic optimization of electrospinning parameters. In vitro cell experiments demonstrated that this highly ordered physical structure exerts a significant physical guidance effect on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Specifically, the oriented nanofiber membrane not only effectively promoted cell adhesion and alignment along the fiber orientation direction but also induced cells to exhibit a neuron-like morphology. This finding confirms that the oriented nanofiber membrane can regulate stem cell behavior and differentiation through physical signals, providing solid experimental evidence for the design of neural tissue engineering scaffolds based on physical structure regulation.

Key words: biomedical textile material, oriented nanofiber membrane, electrospinning, neuronal differentiation, peripheral nerve injury, chitosan, polycaprolactone

CLC Number: 

  • TS 101.4

Tab.1

Electrospinning parameters for CS/PCL nanofiber membranes"

样品
编号		 接收滚轮转速/
(r·min-1)		 接收
距离/cm		 推注速度/
(mL·h-1)
1# 2 500 15 0.6
2# 2 500 15 0.8
3# 2 500 15 1.0
4# 2 500 16 0.6
5# 2 500 16 0.8
6# 2 500 16 1.0
7# 2 500 17 0.6
8# 2 500 17 0.8
9# 2 500 17 1.0

Fig.1

SEM images of CS/PCL nanofiber membranes prepared under conditions of different receiving distances and outflow velocities"

Fig.2

Diameter distribution of CS/PCL fibers prepared under conditions of different receiving distances and outflow velocities"

Fig.3

Influence of receiving distance and outflow velocity on average diameter of CS/PCL fibers"

Fig.4

Orientation distributions and orientation factors of CS/PCL fibers under conditions of different receiving distances and outflow velocities. (a) Orientation distribution of 3#; (b) Orientation distribution of 5#; (c) Orientation distribution of 7#; (d) Comparison of orientation factors"

Fig.5

Influence of receiving roller speeds on orientation factor of CS/PCL fibers"

Fig.6

Stress-strain curves of CS/PCL nanofiber membrane"

Fig.7

Relation growth rate of CS/PCL nanofiber membranes"

Fig.8

Live/dead cell stained images of MSCs on CS/PCL nanofiber membranes after 1 d and 3 d co-culture"

Fig.9

Proportion of live/dead cells of MSCs on CS/PCL nanofiber membranes after 3 d co-culture"

Fig.10

Immunofluorescence images of MSCs on CS/PCL nanofiber membranes after 3 d co-culture"

Fig.11

SEM images of MSCs on CS/PCL nanofiber membranes after 3 d co-culture. (a) Sample A; (b) Sample B; (c) Sample C"

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