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Electroactive Tissue Scaffolds with Aligned Pores as Instructive Platforms for Biomimetic Tissue Engineering
John G Hardy1,2, R Chase Cornelison3,4, Rushi C Sukhavasi5
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA. johnhardyuk@gmail.com.
Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 29, 2017
Summary
Researchers created aligned, porous tissue scaffolds from polycaprolactone (PCL) using a urea template. These aligned pores guide Schwann cell growth and, when made electroactive, enhance nerve growth factor (NGF) production via electrical stimulation.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Tissues possess complex hierarchical structures with unique chemical and topographical features.
- Developing biomimetic scaffolds is crucial for tissue regeneration and understanding cellular responses.
- Controlling scaffold architecture at the macroscale can influence cell behavior and tissue organization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate biodegradable tissue scaffolds with aligned, macroscopic pores.
- To investigate the influence of aligned topographical cues on Schwann cell behavior.
- To create electroactive scaffolds for electrical stimulation of cells and enhance nerve growth factor (NGF) production.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a sacrificial supramolecular polymer crystal template (urea) within a polycaprolactone (PCL) matrix.
- Developed a method to align urea crystals within the PCL scaffold.
- Dissolved the urea template to create aligned macroscopic pores.
- Incorporated an interpenetrating network of polypyrrole (PPy) and poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) to render scaffolds electroactive.
- Cultured rat Schwann cells on scaffolds and applied electrical stimulation.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated PCL scaffolds with centimeter-scale aligned macroscopic pores.
- Demonstrated that aligned pores serve as topographical cues, directing rat Schwann cell alignment along the pore's long axis.
- Electroactive scaffolds enabled electrical stimulation of Schwann cells.
- Electrical stimulation significantly increased nerve growth factor (NGF) production by Schwann cells.
Conclusions:
- Aligned macroscopic pores in biodegradable scaffolds can effectively guide Schwann cell orientation.
- Electroactive scaffolds offer a platform for electrical stimulation to enhance cellular functions relevant to nerve regeneration.
- This approach provides a promising strategy for developing advanced nerve tissue engineering constructs.
