The electrospinning technique allows the preparation of fiber matrices in a controlled and
easy way with diameters ranging from micron to nanoscale. It can produce electrospun fibers
through the action of an external electric field to create an electrically charged jet of polymer
solution with simultaneous rapid evaporation of the solvent which leaves a polymer fiber. Due
to electrospun fibers having a large specific surface area, light weight and high porosity, they
are of interests in a wide variety of applications including nanocomposites and biomedical
applications such as tissue templates, medical prosthesis, and drug delivery systems.
Regenerative medicine has gained recognition in the last decades because different
biotechnological innovations have been introduced in the field of human medicine. Many
research groups and companies invest in the production of new paradigms to cure degenerated
tissue illnesses. These approaches are based on the use of biomimetic tissues to replace
damaged organs. Thus, the fiber matrices have the potential to use as a scaffold for tissue
engineering, also being suitable for loading and localized administration of drugs directly into
the body.
In the present work, it is shown a new experimental method to avoid the cellular oxidative
stress provoked during the tissue replacement leading to biomaterial rejection. The objective
of this research was to prepare fiber matrices by electrospinning of poly(lactide) incorporating
drugs with antioxidative activity as a template for the growth of tissue. These new materials
have biomedical applications, such as therapeutic treatment. The obtained fibers were well
characterized by optical, scanning and transmission electronic microscopy to evaluate their
morphology. Fiber structure and crystallinity were studied by X-ray diffraction and DSC
techniques. Antioxidants release was carried out and analyzed in hydrophobic and hydrophilic
media. Cells were attached on the loaded scaffolds, which resulted unaffected by the
incorporation of the antioxidants. in the fibers. However, cells proliferation increased in fiber
matrices loaded with high antioxidative activity against free radicals responsible for cell
damage. These new electrospun scaffolds provide high protection of the cells against
oxidative stress and resulting in innovative 3D fibrous platforms for tissue growth and
proliferation.
