Preparation of polypyrrole-embedded electrospun poly(lactic acid) nanofibrous scaffolds for nerve tissue engineering

Abstract

Polypyrrole (PPy) is a biocompatible polymer with good conductivity. Studies combining PPy with electrospinning have been reported; however, the associated decrease in PPy conductivity has not yet been resolved. We embedded PPy into poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibers via electrospinning and fabricated a PLA/PPy nanofibrous scaffold containing 15% PPy with sustained conductivity and aligned topography. There was good biocompatibility between the scaffold and human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells as well as Schwann cells. Additionally, the direction of cell elongation on the scaffold was parallel to the direction of fibers. Our findings suggest that the aligned PLA/PPy nanofibrous scaffold is a promising biomaterial for peripheral nerve regeneration.

Keywords

• nerve regeneration; polypyrrole; electrospinning; conductivity; electrical property; Schwann cells; human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells; nerve tissue engineering; nanofibrous scaffolds; neural regeneration