Poly[(R)-
3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyvalerate] (PHBV) is a nature-derived
polyester with potential application in tissue engineering scaffolds. However, PHBV is associated with disadvantages including high brittleness, slow degradation, high hydrophobicity, and unsatisfactory biocompatibility. In this study, we sought to improve the properties of PHBV by blending it with
Ecoflex, a synthetic biopolyester with a high flexibility, fast degradation, and comparatively higher hydrophilicity. PHBV was codissolved with
Ecoflex in
dichloromethane at different mass ratios (PHBV/
Ecoflex: 100/0, 70/30, 50/50, and 30/70) and electrospun into
mats. Compared with the pure PHBV mat, the
Ecoflex-containing
mats showed decreased contact angles with
phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), accelerated
weight loss in PBS, and increased strain at break with increasing
Ecoflex mass ratios. In vitro cell culture also showed significantly improved adhesion and proliferation of human bone marrow stroma cells with the introduction of
Ecoflex. Blending PHBV with
Ecoflex is a simple and effective method to improve the chemical, mechanical, and
biological properties of PHBV simultaneously and thereby to expedite its application in tissue engineering. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing the biocompatibility of
Ecoflex-containing materials with human cells.