Quantitative method for the analysis of cell attachment using aligned scaffold structures

This paper presents a new quantitative method that evaluates the cell attachment affinity to aligned scaffold structures composed of poly (glycolic acid) PGA/collagen. The structures were fabricated by the electrospinning method. We analyzed the relationship between the number and length of attached cells to fibers of different diameters under different concentrations of PGA/collagen. The findings are three fold. Firstly, the fibers fabricated on the order of nano-scale significantly enhanced the number of attaching cells compared with those fibers fabricated on the order of micro-scale. Secondly, the cell morphology is affected by both the amount of collagen in PGA/collagen hybrid fibers and the cells adhesion affinity to fibers. Finally, PGA/collagen hybrid fibers on the range of 0.5 μm with a concentration of 67% collagen provided the best cell adhesion. This study provides an attractive technique to fabricate suitable diameters and collagen concentrations for tissue engineering applications.