Cytocompatibility of a conductive nanofibrous carbon nanotube/poly(L-lactic acid) composite scaffold intended for nerve tissue engineering

摘要

The purpose of this study was to fabricate a conductive aligned nanofibrous substrate and evaluate its suitabilityand cytocompatibility with neural cells for nerve tissue engineering purposes. In order to reach these goals, wefirst used electrospinning to fabricate single-walled carbon-nanotube (SWCNT) incorporated poly(L-Lactic acid)(PLLA) nanofibrous scaffolds and then assessed its cytocompatibility with olfactory ensheathing glial cells(OEC). The plasma treated scaffolds were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and water contactangle. OECs were isolated from olfactory bulb of GFP Sprague-Dawley rats and characterized using OEC specificmarkers via immunocytochemistry and flow cytometery. The cytocompatibility of the conductive alignednano-featured scaffold was assessed using microscopy and MTT assay. We indicate that doping of PLLA polymerwith SWCNT can augment the aligned nanosized substrate with conductivity, making it favorable for nervetissue engineering. Our results demonstrated that SWCNT/PLLA composite scaffold promote the adhesion,growth, survival and proliferation of OEC. Regarding the ideal physical, topographical and electrical propertiesof the scaffold and the neurotrophic and migratory features of the OECs, we suggest this scaffold and thecell/scaffold construct as a promising platform for cell delivery to neural defects in nerve tissue engineering approaches.