Design, Fabrication, and Characterization of Novel Porous Conductive Scaffolds for Nerve Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Highly conductive polypyrrole/graphene (PYG) nanocomposite was synthesized with chemical oxidation process via emulsion polymerization and used for the preparation of novel porous conductive gelatin/chitosan-based scaffolds. The effect of PYG loading on various properties of scaffolds was investigated. The obtained results indicated that by introducing PYG into the polymeric matrix, the porosity and swelling capacity decreased while electrical conductivity and Young's modulus demonstrated increasing trend. The in vitro biodegradation test revealed that pure gelatin/chitosan matrix lost 80% of its weight after six weeks in the presence of lysozyme whilst the biodegradation rate was significantly lower for the conductive scaffolds. Furthermore, Schwann cell attachment and proliferation were evaluated by MTT assay and SEM image and the results revealed significant cell biocompatibility of the conductive scaffold with low amount of PYG. The results confirmed the potential of gelatin/chitosan/PYG compounding as a suitable biomaterial for using in nerve tissue engineering applications in which electrical stimulation plays a vital role.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Keywords:

• Biocompatibility
• biodegradation
• conductivity
• polypyrrole
• porous scaffold