Electrospun Hyaluronan-Gelatin Nanofibrous Matrix for Nerve Tissue Engineering

Schwann cells play a critical role in the repair of the peripheral nerve. The goal of this study was to fabricate electrospun gelatin (Gel) and hyaluronan-gelatin (HA-Gel) composite nanofibers to provide a suitable growth environment for Schwann cells. The fiber diameters of Gel, 0.5 HA-Gel, 1 HA-Gel, and 1.5 HA-Gel were 130 ± 30 nm, 294 ± 87 nm, 362 ± 129 nm, and 224 ± 54 nm, respectively. The biological performance of Gel and HA-Gel was evaluated using an in vitro culture of RT4-D6P2T rat Schwann cells. We found that the cell attachment and proliferation rates were not significantly different on these matrices. However, the Schwann cells displayed better organized F-actin on HA-Gel than on Gel. Moreover, the expression levels of several genes, including Nrg1, GFAP, and P0, were significantly higher on HA-Gel than on Gel. In addition, the levels of Nrg1 and P0 protein expression were also higher on the HA-Gel than on Gel. These results indicate that the hyaluronan-gelatin composite nanofibrous matrix could potentially be used in peripheral nerve repair.