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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
The Culture of Primary Motor and Sensory Neurons in Defined Media on Electrospun Poly-L-lactide Nanofiber Scaffolds
Published on: February 15, 2011
Guidance of neurite outgrowth on aligned electrospun polypyrrole/poly(styrene-beta-isobutylene-beta-styrene) fiber
Xiao Liu1, Jun Chen, Kerry J Gilmore
1ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong NSW, Australia.
Abstract:
The purpose of this work was to investigate the potential biomedical application of novel aligned electrospun polypyrrole (PPy)/poly(styrene-beta-isobutylene-beta-styrene) (SIBS) fibers. After successfully aligning the electroactive PPy/SIBS fibers based on our modified electrospinning method, we demonstrated that neurite outgrowth from PC12 cells could be highly orientated parallel to the aligned PPy/SIBS fibers. Physical interactions between the nerve cells and PPy/SIBS fibers through filopodia "sensing" were observed using atomic force microscopy. These observations indicate a role of contact guidance as a mechanism for the observed alignment. This work highlights the capacity for electroactive PPy/SIBS fibers to support and guide nerve cell differentiation through topographic cues, which is a highly desirable characteristic in medical implants for neurological applications.
