Electrospun Nanocomposite Nerve Guidance Conduits for Peripheral Neural Regeneration

摘要

The nervous system is prone to degeneration and very difficult to repair. Neural tissue engineering may provide a promising strategy for restoration of damaged nerves. In the current study, a highly aligned nanostructured neural scaffold was fabricated via electrospinning and electrospraying techniques. In particular, core-shell bovine serum albumin (BSA) loaded poly (D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanospheres were electrosprayed into electrospun poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) microfibers for the first time. Our results showed that the introduction of BSA-loaded PLGA nanospheres can alter the scaffold's surface properties, such as increased nano surface roughness and wettability while the aligned microfibers can further guide axon propagation. More importantly, the PLGA nanospheres can promote neural cell adhesion and proliferation and sustainably release bioactive factors for further enhanced neural tissue regeneration.