The nanofibrous PAN-PANi scaffold as an efficient substrate for skeletal muscle differentiation using satellite cells

Among polymers, polyaniline (PANi) has been introduced as a good candidate for muscle regeneration due to high conductivity and also biocompatibility. Herein, for the first time, we report the use of electrospun nanofibrous membrane of PAN-PANi as efficient scaffold for muscle regeneration. The prepared PAN-PANi electrospun nanofibrous membrane was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and tensile examination. The softer scaffolds of non-composite electrospun nanofibrous PAN govern a higher rate of cell growth in spite of lower differentiation value. On the other hand, PAN-PANi electrospun nanofibrous membrane exposed high cell proliferation and also differentiation value. Thank to the conductive property and higher Young's modulus of composite type due to the employment of PANi, satellite cells were induced into more matured form as analyzed by Real-Time PCR. On the other hand, grafting of composite nanofibrous electrospun scaffold with gelatin increased the surface stiffness directing satellite cells into lower cell proliferation and highest value of differentiation. Our results for first time showed the significant role of combination between conductivity, mechanical property and surface modification of PAN-PANi electrospun nanofibers and provid new insights into most biocompatible scaffolds for muscle tissue engineering. The schematic figure conveys the effective combination of conductive and surface stiffness on muscle tissue engineering.