Characterization of neural stem cells on electrospun poly(L-lactic acid) nanofibrous scaffold

Nanofibrous poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) scaffolds were fabricated by an electrospinning technique and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, mercury porosimeter, atomic force microscopy and contact-angle test. The produced PLLA fibers with diameters ranging from 150 to 350 nm were randomly orientated with interconnected pores varying from several microm to about 140 microm in-between to form a three-dimensional architecture, which resembles the natural extracellular matrix structure in human body. The in vitro cell culture study was performed and the results indicate that the nanofibrous scaffold not only supports neural stem cell (NSC) differentiation and neurites out-growth, but also promotes NSC adhesion. The favorable interaction between the NSCs and the nanofibrous scaffold may be due to the greatly improved surface roughness of the electrospun nanofibrous scaffold. As evidenced by this study, the electrospun nanofibrous scaffold is expected to play a significant role in neural tissue engineering.