In vitro evaluation of the nanofibers developed for peripheral nerve regeneration

In tissue engineering, natural and synthetic nanofibers that can regenerate body damage have been successfully used in the repair of many lesion types, including peripheral neural lesions, in recent years. So, we developed three different nanofibers that we think can regenerate peripheral nerve damage. Three different nanofibers based on biodegradable poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL); Pure PCL (PCL) nanofiber, 70% PCL and 30% bioactive glass (PCL/BG) hybrid nanofiber, and 0.1% vitamin B12 added (PCL/BG)-B12 hybrid nanofiber were produced by electrospinning. Sol-gel method was used in the synthesis of biomaterials containing bioactive glass. The nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Cell viability assays were performed with healthy L929 fibroblast cells and PC12 cells to evaluate the biocompatibility of nanofibers. Neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells were stimulated by nerve growth factor (NGF). To assess the differentiation levels of PC12 cells, the length of neurites and number of outgrowing neurites per cell was evaluated morphologically, and NGF production levels of the cells were determined by ELISA. The results suggest that these biocompatible nanofibers stimulated PC12 cell survival and neuronal differentiation. Among these scaffolds, PCL/BG-B12 nanofibers strikingly triggered NGF production of PC12 cells as a hallmark of neuroregeneration. Thus, the nanofibers are capable of neuroprotective properties due to their safe, supporting proliferation, and NGF-releasing capacity. Additionally, it could be suggested that the PCL/BG nanofiber and vitamin B12 have the potential to be used in further studies for neurodegenerative diseases.