The Interactions Between Aligned Poly(L-Lactic Acid) Nanofibers and SH-SY5Y Cells In Vitro

Aligned nanofibers have been regarded as promising nanomaterials in facilitating nerve regeneration. Investigating the interactions between aligned nanofibers and neuronal cells will be critically important for the design and application of aligned nanofibers in nerve tissue engineering. In this study, we explored the effects of electrospun Poly(L-Lactic Acid) (PLLA) aligned nanofibers on SH-SY5Y cells (a type of human neuroblastoma cell line) and specifically focused on the role of integrin in the PLLA aligned nanofiber-SH-SY5Y cell interaction. We found that PLLA aligned nanofibers could significantly guide the neurite outgrowth of SH-SY5Y cell, and promote the viability, proliferation, glucose and lactic acid metabolism of SH-SY5Y cell. This promotion effect could be alleviated when the functions of integrins on the SH-SY5Y cell membrane were hampered by pentapeptide GRGDS. Moreover, we found that PLLA aligned nanofibers could enhance the expression of phosphorylated-ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) in the SH-SY5Y cells and blocking the integrins would decrease p-ERK1/2 expression. These results suggested that PLLA aligned nanofibers might affect many cellular behaviors of SH-SY5Y cells via integrin mediated ERK pathway. Our findings provided more insights for understanding the interaction between aligned nanofibers and neuronal cells.