In vitro biocompatibility of vapour phase polymerised conductive scaffolds for cell lines

Abstract

Conductive polymers have been intensively studied for their potential applications in cell therapy, neural regeneration, and drug delivery. They can also be used as scaffolds for tissue engineering. Ideal scaffolds are porous, interconnected structures that allow cell entry and can thus mimic in vivo three-dimensional (3D) tissue regeneration. In the present study, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-silica and polypyrrole-silica composites were fabricated by a two-step procedure for use as 3D conductive porous scaffolds. A hybrid conductive composite layer was first formed by vapour phase polymerisation on a 3D microparticle assembly. Microparticles were then selectively removed, yielding a highly porous skeletal structure. The in vitro biocompatibility of the scaffolds was investigated by culturing with HepG2 and MC3T3-E1 cells, and evaluating cell viability with the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and examining cell morphology by scanning electron and confocal microscopy. We found that the two scaffolds effectively promoted cell proliferation, indicating that conductive polymer-based scaffolds can be useful for investigating the behaviour of muscle and nerve cells under electrical stimulation.