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Design, synthesis, characterization, and cytotoxicity of PCL/PLGA scaffolds through plasma treatment in the presence of pyrrole for possible use in urethral tissue engineering

Electrospinning has proven to be a suitable technique for the production of small diameter tubes, with diverse applications, in the field of tissue engineering. In this work, tubular scaffolds were prepared by electrospinning a polycaprolactone/polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) blend and then treated with polypyrrole plasma for a possible application with urethral tissue. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed that for 10% and 20% of the PLGA in the blend, the microfibers, of varying diameters, were free of defects. The elastic modulus of the tubular scaffolds was highest (19 MPa) at 30% of PLGA, while the strain to break was maximum at 10–20% PLGA. However, at 30% of PLGA, within the polycaprolactone, the mechanical synergy (strain at break) was lost. Epithelial cells and smooth muscle cells’ viability on 80/20 blends was high. When this scaffold was treated for 15 min with polypyrrol plasma, an improvement in cell viability was observed, with few polypyrrol particles being deposited and little scaffold degradation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed the presence of NH, C–N, and C≡N groups as the chemical groups responsible of this behavior. Therefore, these scaffolds with the polypyrrole surface treatment can be used in the urethra tissue engineering.