Dose-Dependent Effects of Gamma Irradiation on the Materials Properties and Cell Proliferation of Electrospun Polycaprolactone Tissue Engineering Scaffolds

Electrospun membranes of polycaprolactone are widely used for biomedical applications such as wound dressings and tissue engineering scaffolds. It is important to sterilize this material using the most accepted method, the gamma irradiation. In this study, the authors evaluated the sterilizability of electrospun polycaprolactone membranes with gamma radiation of varying doses. The irradiated materials were assessed for the changes in morphology, crystallinity, surface degradation, hydrophilicity, mechanical property, sterility, and the cell proliferation. The results demonstrate that electrospun polycaprolactone can be effectively sterilized by gamma irradiation, however a higher dose of radiation affects the materials properties. The irradiated membranes showed improved hydrophilicity and fibroblast cell proliferation.