Electrospun Small Diameter Tubes to Mimic Mechanical Properties of Native Blood Vessels Using Poly (L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone )and Silk Fibroin: a Preliminary Study

Mismatch in mechanical properties can induce intimal hyperplasia,which is one of the main reasons for the failure of small diameter artificial blood vessels. Electrospun small diameter tubes with tailored mechanical properties were fabricated through blending poly( L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone)( PLCL) and silk fibroin( SF)with the mass ratios of 30 /70,50 /50,and 70 /30 in this study.Scanning electron microscopy( SEM) and mechanical testing were used to characterize morphological and mechanical properties of the tubes. Results showed that tensile strength of the tubes was higher than most of the native blood vessels,and elongations at break of them were improved greatly by blending PLCL. Compliances of the tubes were all higher than 1% /13. 33 kPa( 1% /100 mmHg).Particularly,tubes with blending mass ratio of 50 /50 showed similar compliance with human native femoral arteries,which provided a promising biomaterial that could be applied on small diameter vascular applications.