We fabricated extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimicking nanofibrous poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) scaffolds with porous structure of high interconnection for cardiac tissue formation.
The CPCs were seeded into the scaffolds to engineer cardiac constructs in vitro.
Fluorescence staining and RT-PCR assay showed that the scaffolds facilitated cell attachment, extension, and differentiation.
Subcutaneous implantation of the cell/scaffold constructs in a nude mouse model showed that the scaffolds favorably supported survival of the grafted cells and their commitment to the three desired lineages in vivo.
Thus, our study suggested that the porous nanofibrous PLLA scaffolds support cardiac tissue formation from CPCs.
The integration of CPCs with the nanofibrous PLLA scaffolds represents a promising tissue engineering strategy for cardiac repair.