Syringe pump pro software

Two different PLA concentrations of 12% and 15% w/v were dissolved with chloroform at room temperature and under stirring. Scaffolds were manufactured by an electrospinning machine (Spraybase, Dublin, Ireland) using a 24 G needle emitter with an inner diameter of 0.55 mm. A fixed voltage of 7 kV and a flow rate of 2 mL/h was established by the Syringe Pump Pro software (New Era Pump Systems, Farmingdale, NY, USA). The collector was placed at 15 cm from the emitter. The electrospinning process was performed injecting 5 mL of the desired solution. The resulting scaffolds were cut using a scalpel into squares of 2.5 cm for their use in 6-well plates or of 1.6 cm for 12-well plates.

Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and acetone were chosen as biopolymer and non-toxic solvent respectively, to manufacture the scaffolds. PCL 3 mm pellets with an average molecular weight of 80,000 g/mol (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) were dissolved in acetone (PanReac AppliChem, Gatersleben, Germany). Two different concentrations of 7.5 and 15% w/v PCL were achieved under 40 °C and agitation using a magnetic stirrer. Scaffolds were fabricated with an electrospinning instrument (Spraybase, Dublin, Ireland). PCL solution was placed in a plastic syringe (BD Plastipak, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA) connected to an 18 G needle emitter with an inner diameter of 0.8 mm. A fixed voltage of 7 kV was applied and a flow rate of 6 mL/h was established by the Syringe Pump Pro software (New Era Pump Systems, Farmingdale, NY, USA). The distance between the emitter and stationary collector was 15 cm. The electrospinning process was stopped when 10 or 5 mL of solution were ejected, for 7.5 and 15% PCL concentrations respectively. The meshes were then cut into squares with a scalpel.