Electrospun poly(D,L-lactide) and polyaniline scaffold characterization

Neuromuscular disease or peripheral nerve damage can interrupt muscle contraction, but tissue engineered constructs can be created to combat this problem. Electrospinning provides a way to create a degradable nonwoven mesh that can be used to culture cells and tissues. Conductive polymers can be blended with other polymers to provide an electrical current to increase cell attachment, proliferation, and migration. We electrospun several polyaniline and poly(D,L‐lactide) (PANi/PDLA) mixtures at different weight percents including the following PANi‐PDLA solutions (w/v): 24% (83% PDLA/17% PANi), 24% (80% PDLA/20% PANi), 22% (75%PDLA/25% PANi), 29% (83% PDLA/17% PANi), and 29% (80% PDLA/20% PANi). Only the 75/25 electrospun scaffold was able to conduct a current of 5 mA. The calculated electrical conductivity for this scaffold was 0.0437 S/cm. Primary rat muscle cells were cultured on all three of the scaffolds and on tissue culture polystyrene as a positive control. Although the scaffolds degraded during this process, cells were still able to attach and proliferate on each of the different scaffolds. The cellular proliferation measurements showed no significant difference between the four groups measured. The conductivity and cellular behavior demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating a biocompatible, biodegradable, and electrically conductive PDLA/PANi scaffold. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010