Influence of gelatin cues in PCL electrospun membranes on nerve outgrowth

The design of functionalized polymers that can elicit specific biological responses and the development of methods to fabricate new devices that incorporate biological cues are of great interest to the biomedical community. The realization of nanostructured matrices that exhibit biological properties and that comprise fibers with diameters of similar scale to those of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) would enable the provision of tailored materials for tissue engineering. Accordingly, the goal of this work is to create a biologically active functionalized electrospun matrix capable of guiding neurite growth for the regeneration of nerve tissue. In this study, nanoscale electrospun membranes made of poly ε-caprolactone enhanced with gelatin from calf skin were investigated to validate their biological response under in vitro culture of PC-12 nerve cells. Preliminary observations from SEM studies supported by image analysis highlighted the nanoscale texture of the scaffold with fiber diameters equal to 0.548 ± 0.140 μm. In addition, contact angle measurements confirmed the hydrophilic behavior of the membranes, ascribable to the gelatin content. We demonstrate that the balance of morphological and biochemical properties improves all the fundamental biological events of nerve regeneration, enhancing cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation in comparison with PCL nanofibrous scaffolds, as well as supporting the neurite outgrowth.