Biodegradation and cellular evaluation of aligned and random poly (3-hydroxybutyrate)/chitosan electrospun scaffold for nerve tissue engineering applications

The aim of this study is to gain the best structure of Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/chitosan electrospun aligned and random fibrous scaffold for nerve tissue engineering applications using electrospinning method, morphologically and biologically. The results illustrated that by addition of chitosan, surface porosity percentages have increased while the water contact angle has decreased, for both structures. Results of biodegradation rate noted that aligned PHB/chitosan fibrous scaffolds had a slower degradation rate than random PHB/chitosan fibrous scaffolds. Finally, cultivation results of rat neuronal-like cells (B65 cell line) on electrospun-aligned and random fibrous scaffolds were compared. Results of MTT assay demonstrated better improvement for the proliferation of B65 cells on electrospun-aligned PHB/chitosan scaffolds. Also, SEM images indicated that the bi-polar neurite extensions and the orientation of nerve cells were aligned in the direction of the fibre alignment.