A16-a - Analysis of Cell Attachment onto Polycaprolactone Fibrous Scaffolds for Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering

Saturday, October 11, 2025

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM PDT

Location: Exhibit Hall F, G & H

Presenting Author(s)

Addison L. Wible

High School Researcher
University of South Florida
Bradenton, Florida, United States

Co-Author(s)

Azin Ghasemi, n/a

PhD Student
University of south florida
Tampa, Florida, United States
RK

Russell Kramer

Undergraduate Researcher
University of South Florida, Florida, United States

Primary Investigator(s)

Neda Latifi

Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida, United States

Introduction: : Every year more than 130,000 people await heart transplants while only 3,000 organs are available. This and a combination of other factors leads heart failure/cardiovascular disease to be the number 1 cause of death in the world. In an effort to prevent this scientists have been working on new novel techniques such as bioprinting, and organ recellularization. We aimed to see if utilizing electrospinning techniques we could develop a potential replacement tissue for vessels/damaged parts of the heart. This was tested by culturing mouse cells and testing attachment rates to be predictors of how well the tissue could integrate seamlessly into the body. The adhesion rates of the cells was at >99% compared to other solutions at 36% or 82%. Showing potential real world impact for culturing human cells, and integrating this scaffold back into our bodies as replacement tissue.

Materials and

Methods: : Two PCL solutions (2.5% and 5% w/v in HFIP) were electrospun into aligned fibrous scaffolds using a custom setup with a rotating mandrel at 1500 RPM. Circular samples (1.25 cm diameter) were attached to PDMS rings, sterilized, and coated with poly-D-lysine. NIH/3T3 mouse fibroblasts were seeded at 50,000 cells/cm² and cultured for seven days with media changes every two days. After fixation, DAPI nuclear staining was performed, and samples were imaged using confocal fluorescence microscopy. Cell counts were analyzed with FIJI software, and statistical significance was determined via Chi-square analysis.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions:: The 5% PCL scaffolds supported a mean of 2,765 cells per sample, compared to 1,200 cells on 2.5% PCL—a 130.4% increase in adhesion. Both scaffold types exhibited >99% cell adhesion rates, outperforming reported gelatin bioprinted scaffolds (36.1%) and decellularized tissue scaffolds (82%). Chi-square analysis (χ² = 2141.45, critical value = 11.07) confirmed PCL concentration as a significant factor influencing adhesion. The higher durability and thickness of 5% PCL likely enhanced mechanical stability, facilitating stronger cell-scaffold interactions.

The PCL scaffolds had high surface cell adhesion that resulted in making the 5% PCL scaffold a strong option. The 5% scaffold has an optimal formulation for potential applications in vascular grafts and cardiac patch development. Future work should assess mechanical properties under physiological conditions, differing parts of the body and altering percentages of PCL, as well as scaffold analysis in vivo.

Acknowledgements and/or References (Optional): : This research was conducted in Dr. Neda Latifi’s TTEB Laboratory, Department of Medical Engineering, University of South Florida, with guidance and assistance from Azin Ghasemi, Russell Kramer, Ryan Singer, and Carmen Criado. Supported by Dr. Latifi’s start-up package.