The discovery of piezoelectricity in natural cartilage has inspired the development of piezoelectric biomaterials for its repair and regeneration using tissue engineering approaches. In the present work, piezoelectric scaffolds composed of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxy valerate) (PB) and graphene oxide (GO) have been successfully fabricated by the electrospinning technology. The fabricated scaffolds were examined for their morphological, physical, chemical, piezoelectric, and biological characterizations. The fiber diameter was found to be in the range of 600–800 nm appropriate for chondrogenic growth. Reinforcement of 1.5% GO enhanced the tensile strength of PB to 2.08 ± 0.33 MPa compared to PB alone (0.59 ± 0.12). Reinforcement of GO significantly enhances the piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃), and for 0.5, 1, and 1.5% GO in PB, it was found to be 0.12 ± 0.015, 0.57 ± 0.19, and 0.94 ± 0.03 pC/N, respectively, and corresponding voltages of 11.84 ± 1.4, 54.69 ± 18.29, and 100.2 ± 3.2 mV, respectively, were generated. The biological activity of the smart piezo scaffolds was also evaluated on freshly isolated goat chondrocytes. The GO-reinforced scaffold showed higher cell proliferation and cell adhesion as confirmed by alamarBlue assay and field emission scanning electron microscopy imaging. The GO-reinforced scaffold has demonstrated significantly higher extracellular matrix production compared to PB as confirmed by histochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction. Hence, the GO-based piezoelectric PB electrospun scaffold can be a better alternative for cell-free and growth factor-free approach for cartilage tissue engineering.

中文翻译：

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氧化石墨烯增强增强基于聚（3-羟基丁酸酯-co-3-羟基戊酸酯）的纳米纤维支架的压电和机械性能，以改善软骨细胞的增殖和 ECM 的产生

天然软骨中压电性的发现激发了压电生物材料的开发，用于使用组织工程方法进行修复和再生。在目前的工作中，由聚（3-羟基丁酸酯-co-3-羟基戊酸酯）（PB）和氧化石墨烯（GO）组成的压电支架已通过静电纺丝技术成功制造。检查了制造的支架的形态、物理、化学、压电和生物学特性。发现纤维直径在 600-800 nm 范围内，适合软骨生长。与单独的 PB (0.59 ± 0.12) 相比，1.5% GO 的增强将 PB 的拉伸强度提高到 2.08 ± 0.33 MPa。GO的增强显着提高了压电系数（d₃₃)，对于 PB 中 0.5、1 和 1.5% 的 GO，发现分别为 0.12 ± 0.015、0.57 ± 0.19 和 0.94 ± 0.03 pC/N，相应的电压为 11.84 ± 1.4、54.69 ± 18.29，和 100.2 ± 3.2 mV，分别产生。还在新鲜分离的山羊软骨细胞上评估了智能压电支架的生物活性。经 alamarBlue 测定和场发射扫描电子显微镜成像证实，GO 增强的支架显示出更高的细胞增殖和细胞粘附。组织化学和实时聚合酶链反应证实，与 PB 相比，GO 增强的支架具有显着更高的细胞外基质产量。因此，基于 GO 的压电 PB 静电纺丝支架可以更好地替代无细胞和无生长因子的软骨组织工程方法。