Nylon as an in vitro scaffold for three-dimensional study of neural cells

The requirement for improved modeling of cells in culture for study of cell-to-cell interactions has led to an increased focus on three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models. In this study, NG108-15 neural cells and rat sciatic nerve Schwann cells were successfully grown as monocultures and as a coculture on the biocompatible nylon mesh substrates. This has allowed proliferation and interactions between the two cell types to be monitored on the mesh over time. Electrophysiological recordings validated the NG108-15 neural cell differentiation which confirmed the similarity of recorded action potentials in two-dimensional culture environments. A variety of assays have been used, demonstrating the use of nylon as an appropriate substrate for neural cell in vitro studies, and nylon can easily be imaged using inverted microscopy. These studies confirm the suitability of the nylon 3D culture presented for modeling neural cell behavior. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 1575-1584, 2018.