Dendronized polyaniline nanotubes for cardiac tissue engineering

Today, nanobiomaterials represent a very important class of biomaterials because they differ dramatically in their bulk precursors. The properties of these materials are determined by the size and morphology, thus creating a fascinating line in their physicochemical properties. Polyaniline nanotubes (PANINTs) are one of the most promising nanobiomaterials for cardiac tissue engineering applications due to their electroactive properties. The biocompatibility and low hydrophilic properties of PANINTs can be improved by their functionalization with the highly hydrophilic polyglycerol dendrimers (PGLDs). Hydrophilicity plays a fundamental role in tissue regeneration and fundamental forces that govern the process of cell adhesion and proliferation. In this work, the biocompatible properties and cardiomyocyte proliferation onto PANINTs modified by PGLD are described. PGLDs were immobilized onto PANINTs via surface-initiated anionic ring-opening polymerization of glycidol. The microstructure and morphology of PGLD-PANINTs was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The cardiac cell growth on the PGLD-PANINTs was investigated. The PGLD-coated PANINTs showed noncytotoxic effects to Chinese hamster ovary cells. It was observed that the application of microcurrent stimulates the differentiation of cardiac cells cultured on PGLD-PANINTs scaffolds. The electroactive and biocompatible results of PGLD-PANINTs observed in this work demonstrate the potential of this nanobiomaterial for the culture of cardiac cells and open the possibility of using this material as a biocompatible electroactive three-dimensional matrix in cardiac tissue engineering.