Porous PLGA-PEG nerve conduit decorated with oriented electrospun chitosan-RGD nanofibre

Abstract

Chitosan (CS) is a type of natural polysaccharide, widely used as a biomaterial on account of its great biocompatibility and the multitudes of functional groups on the long chitosan chain, making it easy for property augmentations. Nevertheless, the lack of workability and mechanical capacity limits the applications. Herein, electrospinning was chosen to fabricate oriented chitosan/polyethylene oxide (PEO) nanofibres decorated by integrin-targeting polypeptides (RGD, Arg-Gly-Asp), which is essential for cell adhesion. At the same time, porous PLGA-PEG membranes were taken as a shell of the composite film, which can provide mechanical support for the scaffold. Adequate topological anisotropic information from oriented nanofibres helps the scaffold simulate the natural axon structure, which can induce accelerated regeneration of neurotmesis. Moreover, β-Tricalcium Phosphate (β-TCP) nanoparticles were brought into nanofibers to neutralize the acidic environment produced by the degeneration of PLGA-PEG. Cell viability tests at the in vitro level and dorsal root ganglion (DRG, 1-day sucking SD rat) co-culture detection proved that the scaffold possesses excellent biocompatibility while guiding oriented regeneration of damaged nerves. In this study, a CS-RGD/PEO/β-TCP/PLGA-PEG porous composite scaffold with low cytotoxicity was fabricated. The scaffold can not only lead to the oriented growth of nerves but also has selectivity, which can help nutrient exchange while inhibiting the invasion of fibrous tissue.

Keywords

• Chitosan
• RGD
• Electrospun
• Porous
• PLGA-PEG