Chitosan/graphene and poly(D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid)/graphene nano-composites for nerve tissue engineering

This study aimed at examining and comparing the fabrication process, electrical conductivity, and biological properties of Chitosan/Graphene membranes and poly(D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)/Graphene membranes. Nano-composite membranes were made using chitosan or PLGA matrix, and 0.5-1.5 wt.% graphene nano-sheets as the reinforcement material; all the membranes were fabricated through solution casting method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction results indicated that the graphene had been uniformly dispersed in polymeric matrix. The membranes with 1.5 wt.% graphene appeared to have the highest value of electrical conductivity among all the examined the membranes and this growth was about 10⁶ in comparison with neat polymers. Since the Chitosan 1.5% graphene membrane was found to have the highest proliferation after 72 hours by MTT [3-(4, 5-di-methylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay of PC12 cell line (p<0.05), it is promising to consider nano-composite membrane for nerve tissue engineering applications.