The Effect of Vitamin C-Loaded Electrospun Polycaprolactone/Poly (Glycerol Sebacate) Fibers for Peripheral Nerve tissue engineering

Abstract

Vitamin C (VC) is an essential supplement that plays an important role in cellular processes and functions and has been applied for therapeutic purposes for many years. Recently, the beneficial effects of VC on peripheral nerve regeneration have been gained lots of attention. In this study, electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL)/polyglycerol sebacate (PGS) fibers incorporated with different concentrations of VC (5, 10, and 15 wt.%) were developed for peripheral nerve tissue engineering. The morphology of the fibers was investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), tensile analysis (Young’s modulus, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and elongation at break), release profile of VC from the PCL/PGS fibers, in vitro degradation, water uptake behavior, and contact angle measurements were also studied. 3-(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and SEM were utilized to evaluate the attachment and viability of pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) on the scaffolds. The results showed that all scaffolds had a uniform diameter and mean diameter deceased from 1.24 to 0.88 µm followed by increasing VC. Young’s modulus and UTS enhanced with increasing in VC percentage. Contact angle analysis showed that VC increased the surface hydrophilicity of PCL/PGS fibers from 31.4º to 13.6º. MTT assays demonstrated that PCL/PGS containing 5 wt.% VC have a greater viability rate among other scaffolds. Our outcome indicated possible applicability of VC containing scaffolds for nerve tissue engineering.