Novel nanofibrous spiral scaffolds for neural tissue engineering

Due to several drawbacks associated with autografts and allografts, tissue-engineering approaches have been widely used to repair peripheral nerve injuries. Most of the traditional tissue-engineered scaffolds in use are either tubular (single or multi-lumen) or hydrogel-based cylindrical grafts, which provide limited surface area for cell attachment and regeneration. Here, we show a novel poly(lactide-co-glycotide) (PLGA) microsphere-based spiral scaffold design with a nanofibrous surface that has enhanced surface areas and possesses sufficient mechanical properties and porosities to support the nerve regeneration process. These scaffolds have an open architecture that goes evenly throughout the scaffolds hence leaving enough volume for media influx and deeper cell penetration into the scaffolds. The in vitro tests conducted using Schwann cells show that the nanofibrous spiral scaffolds promote higher cell attachment and proliferation when compared to contemporary tubular scaffolds or nanofiber-based tubular scaffolds. Also, the nanofiber coating on the surfaces enhances the surface area, mimics the extracellular matrix and provides unidirectional alignment of cells along its direction. Hence, we propose that these scaffolds could alleviate some drawbacks in current nerve grafts and could potentially be used in nerve regeneration.