Fiber-Reinforced Composites for Vaginal Tissue Engineering Applications

The vagina is a fibromuscular tube-shaped organ that plays critical roles in menstruation, pregnancy, and female sexual health. Vaginal tissue constituents, including cells and extracellular matrix components, contribute to tissue structure, function, and prevention of injury and pathology. However, much microstructural function remains unknown, including how the fiber-cell and cell–cell interactions influence macromechanical properties. A deeper understanding of these interactions will provide critical information needed to reduce and prevent vaginal pathologies. Our objective for this work is to design a novel tissue-mimicking biomaterial for vaginal tissue engineering, and characterize its biological and mechanical performance in the vaginal microenvironment. We successfully created fiber-reinforced hydrogels of gelatin-elastin electrospun fibers infiltrated with gelatin methacryloyl hydrogels. Further, we extensively characterized its relevant mechanical behavior, including tensile and tear properties. We also demonstrate initial biocompatibility and stability of the composites using primary vaginal epithelial cells in acidic vaginal conditions. This work significantly advances progress in vaginal tissue engineering by developing a physiologically relevant novel material with tunable properties, equipped to investigate biomechanical and cellular mechanisms underlying vaginal function, pathology, and therapeutic intervention.