In-Vitro Study of Co-Electrospun PCL/Gelatin/Chitosan Scaffolds Enhanced with Carbon Nanotube for Cartilage Regeneration

Cartilage tissue regeneration is a significant challenge in orthopedics, especially with the aging population. This study introduces a novel co-electrospun scaffold composed of polycaprolactone (PCL), gelatin, chitosan, and carbon nanotubes (CNT) for cartilage tissue engineering. The scaffold was doped with varying CNT concentrations to optimize its properties. In-vitro tests were performed to assess scaffold morphology, chemical composition, water-scaffold interaction, mechanical properties, and cell viability. Scaffolds with 0.1 and 0.2% CNT (0.2 CNT) showed homogenous morphology, while the 0.4% CNT resulted in non-homogeneity. The 0.2 CNT scaffold demonstrated hydrophilicity (64.5° contact angle), adequate swelling, favorable biodegradation, and suitable mechanical properties for cartilage regeneration. It supported cell viability, and no dead cells were detected in the live/dead test. Additionally, it showed 95.5 ± 1.5% cell viability after seven days in MTT assay. Therefore, the 0.2 CNT scaffold is a promising candidate for cartilage tissue engineering and is proposed for further in-vivo investigation.