Mast cells synthesize several potent angiogenic factors and can also stimulate fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and macrophages. An understanding of how they participate in wound healing and angiogenesis is important to further our knowledge about in situ vascular prosthetic regeneration. The adhesion, proliferation, and cytokine secretion of bone marrow-derived murine mast cells (BMMC) on electrospun polydioxanone, polycaprolactone, and silk scaffolds, as well as tissue culture plastic, has been investigated in the presence or absence of IL-3, stem cell factor, IgE and IgE with a crosslinking antigen, dinitrophenol-conjugated albumin (DNP). It was previously believed that only activated BMMCs exhibit adhesion and cytokine secretion. However, this study shows nonactivated BMMC adhesion to electrospun scaffolds. Silk scaffold was not found to be conducive for mast cell adhesion and cytokine secretion. Activation by IgE and DNP significantly enhanced mast cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, and secretion of tumor necrosis factor alpha, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha, and IL-13. This indicates that mast cells might play a role in the process of biomaterial integration into the host tissue, regeneration, and possibly angiogenesis. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 97A: 405-413, 2011.