Functional Performance of Electrospun Tissue-Engineered Heart Valve Scaffolds Across Geometries Under Aortic Conditions

Electrospun, bioresorbable polymer scaffolds are a promising platform for tissue-engineered heart valves (TEHVs) owing to their fibrous microstructure, tunable mechanics and capacity to support host-cell infiltration and remodeling. Recent in-vitro parametric studies of bioprosthetic heart valve (BHV) geometry have used silicone cast valves to link design parameters to hemodynamic performance and leaflet strain, but the functional behavior of electrospun whole-valve TEHV scaffolds across distinct leaflet geometries and clinically relevant aortic conditions remains poorly characterized. Here, we present an end-to-end workflow in which polycaprolactone (PCL) is electrospun directly onto parametrized, 3D-printed mandrels derived from two established analytical leaflet geometry models, yielding 21 whole-valve scaffolds across four geometries without cutting and assembling flat fiber sheets or suturing of flat fiber sheets. Fiber diameter, orientation and pore area were assessed by scanning electron microscopy and found to be consistent across scaffolds and geometries. Two scaffolds of each of four geometries were tested in a pulse duplicator under hypotensive, normotensive and hypertensive aortic conditions. All scaffolds opened and closed physiologically under all conditions, with a mean maximum geometric orifice area (GOA) of 44.5% of the valve area and a mean peak transvalvular pressure gradient of 10mmHg. Leaflet geometry had no apparent systematic effect on flow and pressure waveforms or on GOA. The mean regurgitant fraction was 82%, most likely due to leakage through the porous fiber network rather than incomplete leaflet closure. Electrospun whole-valve scaffolds thus achieve favorable leaflet kinematics at clinically relevant aortic conditions and the presented workflow provides a reproducible, parametric framework for their fabrication and translation toward regenerative heart valve replacement.