DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2016.v04i10.006

Pages: 818-821

Tissue Engineering and bio fabrication techniques play a crucial role for biomedical application solutions. The combination of biomaterials of different origin can lead to the creation of micro- and nano- structures with extra-ordinary characteristics. Currently, there is limited knowledge on how freezing protocols during cryopreservation influence the scaffolds’ characteristics. In this study, we compared the influence of cryopreservation on two different scaffolds, either consisting of polycaprolactone (PCL) or PCL and chitosan (CS), fabricated by electrospinning. Their morphological and mechanical properties were evaluated, before and after cryopreservation. In our previous studies we have shown that, PCL/CS fibers were thinner, more porous, exhibiting superior mechanical properties, compared to PCL fibers. Here we concluded that the freezing process did not induce significant changes in the fibers’ mechanical properties while the average diameter was slightly decreased for both types of scaffolds. In a nutshell, PCL/CS fibers can be further examined as scaffolds for cell seeding and bio preservation applications.