Feasibility of taking aligned electrospun polymethylmethacrylate nanofibers as rat primary Schwann cell loading scaffold

Abstract:

Objective：To evaluate the potentiality of taking aligned polymethylmethacrylate（PMMA） electrospun nanofibers as Schwann cell loading scaffold. Methods：Aligned electrospun nanofibers were fabricated and primary rat Schwann cells were cultured on them；random PMMA nanofibers were served as control. Green fluorescent protein gene was tranfected by lentivirus and made as the report－ing gene；the contact guidance exerted by the topographic feature of nanofibers on the growth of Schwann cells was revealed，and the microcosmic relation between the cell and the fiber was showed. Based on the findings mentioned above，the dynamic compliance of Schwann cells to aligned PMMA nanofibers was exhibited. Furthermore，potentiality of taking PMMA electrospun nanofibers as Schwann cell loading scaffold after neural injury was evaluated. Results：Schwann cell could adhere and grow both on random and aligned PMMA nanofibers. Compared with random nanofibers，aligned nanofibers could provide more supporting to Schwann cell，and on aligned fibers Schwann cells could grow along the axis of the fibers and form longer cell process（P=0.0079）. Dynamic observation showed good com－pliance of Schwann cells to the topographic features of aligned nanofibers. Conclusion：Aligned PMMA electrospun nanofibers have the potentiality of being transplantable scaffold for loading Schwann cells after neural injury.