Effect of carbon nanotube coating of aligned nanofibrous polymer scaffolds on the neurite outgrowth of PC‐12 cells

Abstract

Neurite outgrowth from endogenous or transplanted cells is important for neural regeneration following nerve tissue injury. Modified substrates often provide better environments for cell adhesion and neurite outgrowth. This study was conducted to determine if MWCNT (multiwalled carbon nanotube)-coated electrospun PLCL [poly (l-lactic acid-co-3-caprolactone)] nanofibres improved the neurite outgrowth of PC-12 cells. To accomplish this, two groups, PC-12 cells in either uncoated PLCL scaffolds or MWCNT-coated PLCL scaffolds were cultured for 9 days. MWCNT-coated PLCL scaffolds showed improved adhesion, proliferation and neurite outgrowth of PC-12 cells. These findings suggest that MWCNT-coated nanofibrous scaffolds may be an attractive platform for cell transplantation application in neural tissue engineering.