Background We evaluated the outcome of esophageal reconstructions using tissue-engineered scaffolds. Method Partial esophageal defects were reconstructed with the following scaffolds; animals were grouped (n = 7 per group) as follows: (a) normal rats; (b) rats implanted with three-dimensional printing (3DP) polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds; (c) with human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADSC)-seeded 3DP PCL scaffolds; (d) with polyurethane (PU)-nanofiber(Nf) scaffolds; and (e) with ADSC-seeded PU-Nf scaffolds. Results The esophageal defects were successfully repaired; however, muscle regeneration was greater in the 3DP PCL + ADSC groups than in the PU-Nf + ADSC groups (P
An ideal scaffold should have good mechanical properties and provide a biologically functional implant site. A rapid prototyping system has been introduced as a good method of fabricating 3D scaffolds that mimic the structure in the human body. However, the scaffolds have strands that are too smooth and a pore size that is too large relative to the seeded cells and present unfavorable conditions for initial cell attachment. To overcome these problems, we propose a hybrid technology combining a 3D rapid prototyping system and an electrospinning process to produce a hierarchical 3D biomedical scaffold. The resulting structure consists of alternating…