4.6 Article

Polyaniline nano-needles into electrospun bio active fibres support in vitro astrocyte response

Journal

RSC ADVANCES
Volume 11, Issue 19, Pages 11347-11355

Publisher

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY
DOI: 10.1039/d1ra00596k

Keywords

-

Funding

  1. AFOSR [ASTRO-MAT FA9550 16-1-0502, ASTRONIR FA9550-17-1-0502 3D NEUROGLIA FA9550-18-1-0255, ASTRODYN FA9550-19-1-0370]
  2. Por Fesr Emilia Romagna 2014-2020 [MAT2REP PG/2018/626605]

Ask authors/readers for more resources

The fabrication of electrically conductive scaffolds using electrospun nanofibers containing gelatin and polyaniline can support the growth and functionality of primary astrocytes. Control of fiber morphology influences the adhesion, proliferation, and functional properties of astrocytes, while providing a permissive and guiding environment. The presence of pnanoparticles does not alter the bioelectrical properties of resting astrocytes, suggesting potential for bioconductive platforms for interfacing and controlling astrocyte properties.
Recent studies have proposed that the bioelectrical response of glial cells, called astrocytes, currently represents a key target for neuroregenerative purposes. Here, we propose the fabrication of electrospun nanofibres containing gelatin and polyaniline (PANi) synthesized in the form of nano-needles (PnNs) as electrically conductive scaffolds to support the growth and functionalities of primary astrocytes. We report a fine control of the morphological features in terms of fibre size and spatial distribution and fibre patterning, i.e. random or aligned fibre organization, as revealed by SEM- and TEM-supported image analysis. We demonstrate that the peculiar morphological properties of fibres - i.e., the fibre size scale and alignment - drive the adhesion, proliferation, and functional properties of primary cortical astrocytes. In addition, the gradual transmission of biochemical and biophysical signals due to the presence of PnNs combined with the presence of gelatin results in a permissive and guiding environment for astrocytes. Accordingly, the functional properties of astrocytes measured via cell patch-clamp experiments reveal that PnNs do not alter the bioelectrical properties of resting astrocytes, thus setting the scene for the use of PnN-loaded nanofibres as bioconductive platforms for interfacing astrocytes and controlling their bioelectrical properties.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.6
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available