In vitro characterization of polymer-ceramic nanofiber scaffolds

Rotator cuff tears often occur at the tendon-bone insertion site, a fibrocartilaginous interface that is not regenerated during current repairs. Our aim is to regenerate the insertion site through use of extracellular matrix based scaffolds. In this study, we evaluated the response of mineralized and non-mineralized nanofiber scaffolds to cell culture environment without the influence of cell growth and matrix deposition. We observed minimal change in scaffold mineral content, composition, and chemistry over culture time. Structural properties were influenced, in particular, fiber diameter increased throughout culture. This data is essential for scaffold characterization and understanding cell-material interactions.