Effects of polyethylene oxide and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) nanofibrous substrate on omental adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell neuronal differentiation and peripheral nerve regeneration

Among a variety of polymers, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co -3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) display biodegradable and biocompatible properties for applications in the biological, biochemical and biomedical fields. PEO incorporated with PHBV may be used to fabricate superior electrospun nanofibres. Herein, we investigated the influence of PEO content and aligned substrate topography on the viability, stemness properties and neuronal differentiation capabilities of omental adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (O-ASCs) in vitro . Decreasing the mass ratio of a PHBV/PEO solution from 60/40 to 90/10 is inversely correlated with increasing the fibre diameter. O-ASCs cultured on aligned and randomly-oriented nanofibrous substrates exhibit differences in cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, and surface epitope expression. Upon induction by retinoic acid (RA), the cell morphology guidance and a higher level of Wnt signalling pathway activation of neuronally differentiated O-ASCs are achieved on the aligned substrate, wherein a combined effect of cell-selective sensitivity for the substrate topography and the external RA induction are observed. Additionally, the performance of PHBV/PEO nanofibrous conduits is evaluated for sciatic nerve regeneration in rats. Encouraging results from stained images and motor function recovery assays indicate that it is sufficient to combine aligned 90/10 PHBV/PEO nanofibrous conduits and neuronally differentiated O-ASCs for the repair of the sciatic nerve in vivo .