Matrices for tissue engineering-scaffold structure for a bioartificial liver support system

This study proposes a new composite scaffold system. A woven polyethylenter ephtalate (PET) fabric was coated on one side with a biodegradable PLGA fil m, in order to obtain a geometrically polarized scaffold structure for an b ioartificial liver support system. The composite structure ensures the stab ility of the membrane during degradation of the membrane polymer. The mesh size of the composite does not significantly influence the degradation beha vior. Hepatocyte culturing studies reveal that the formation of aggregates depends on the mesh size and on the pretreatment: The largest aggregates co uld be observed after 48 h when PVLA coating, large mesh size and EGF were combined. Thus, the combination of a geometrically structured, partially de gradable scaffold with receptor-mediated cell attachment sites offers promi sing possibilities in liver tissue engineering. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B .V. All rights reserved.