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Guidance of neurite outgrowth on aligned electrospun polypyrrole/poly(styrene‐β‐isobutylene‐β‐styrene) fiber platforms
Author(s) -
Liu Xiao,
Chen Jun,
Gilmore Kerry J.,
Higgins Michael J.,
Liu Yong,
Wallace Gordon G.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.32675
Subject(s) - materials science , styrene , polypyrrole , isobutylene , electrospinning , neurite , fiber , composite material , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , nanotechnology , polymer , copolymer , polymerization , in vitro , biochemistry , chemistry , engineering
The purpose of this work was to investigate the potential biomedical application of novel aligned electrospun polypyrrole (PPy)/poly(styrene‐β‐isobutylene‐β‐styrene) (SIBS) fibers. After successfully aligning the electroactive PPy/SIBS fibers based on our modified electrospinning method, we demonstrated that neurite outgrowth from PC12 cells could be highly orientated parallel to the aligned PPy/SIBS fibers. Physical interactions between the nerve cells and PPy/SIBS fibers through filopodia “sensing” were observed using atomic force microscopy. These observations indicate a role of contact guidance as a mechanism for the observed alignment. This work highlights the capacity for electroactive PPy/SIBS fibers to support and guide nerve cell differentiation through topographic cues, which is a highly desirable characteristic in medical implants for neurological applications. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2010.