Incorporation of bioactive component around the surface of synthetic
polymeric fiber is essential to improve the biocompatibility of scaffold. Core-shell
structured nylon-6/lactic acid (LA) nanofibers have been produced via single-spinneret
electrospinning from the simple blending of LA and nylon-6 solution. The low
evaporation rate and plasticizer property of LA was found to be responsible for the
formation of point-bonded morphology whereas solvent degradation of nylon-6 with
complex phase separation mechanism could give spider-web-like architecture of the mat
and core-shell structure of the composite fibers. These fibers were further treated with
calcium base to convert surface LA into calcium lactate (CL) which could increase the
biocompatibility of composite mat. The SBF incubation test and in vitro cell compatibility
test showed that CL/nylon-6 composite mat has far better biocompatibility compared to
the pristine nylon-6 scaffold. Therefore, the novel nanofibrous composite mat may
become a potential candidate for bone tissue engineering.
Keywords: Calcium lactate, calcium phosphate, core-shell fibers, electrospinning,
lactic acid, mineralization, nano-nets, nylon-6, tissue scaffold.
