Journal of Bioremediation & Biodegradation
Open Access

Abstract

Electrically excitable tissues like nerve and muscle have shown promising results in regeneration on conductive scaffolds. In this study, 14% solution of PCL electrospun on a rotating collector forms nanofibres with the average diameter of 430 nm. The fibre mats are dip coated by the conducting polymer PPy (polypyrrole) to form a substrate capable of stimulation of nerve cells. 90% porosity of the conductive scaffold along with the mechanical properties which is improved compared to PCL fibres without coating, meet the required properties of nerve scaffolds. PC12 cells along with nerve growth factor, are cultured on the aligned nanofibers and stimulated by a constant voltage of 0.01 V/cm for 1 h/day for three days. Formation of neurites in the direction of fibres suggests that the electroactive PCL-PPy scaffold can support the differentiation of PC12 cells into nerve cells. The flexible and stable fibrous scaffold with conductivities ranging up to 1.9 S/cm shows the potential applications of these membranes in neural tissue engineering.

Biography

Email: sshafei@deakin.edu.au