Archived
This content is available here for research, reference, and/or recordkeeping.
Abstract
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.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2026
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1002/jbm.a.70061
Funding Information
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health (T32DK120497, KL2TR001996).
Repository Citation
Kolluru, Samyuktha S.; Hamdaoui, Abir; Mascot, Annabella M.; Sutcliffe, Siobhan S.; Lowder, Jerry L.; Oyen, Michelle L.; and Zambuto, Samantha G., "Fiber-Reinforced Composites for Vaginal Tissue Engineering Applications" (2026). Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications. 102.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/me_facpub/102
Notes/Citation Information
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non- commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.