Fabrication of nanochitosan incorporated polypyrrole/alginate conducting scaffold for neural tissue engineering

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The utilization of conductive polymers for fabrication of neural scaffolds have attracted much interest because of providing a microenvironment which can imitate nerve tissues. In this study, polypyrrole (PPy)–alginate (Alg) composites were prepared using different percentages of alginate and pyrrole by oxidative polymerization method using FeCl 3 as an oxidant and electrical conductivity of composites were measured by four probe method. In addition, chitosan-based nanoparticles were synthesized by ionic gelation method and after characterization merged into PPy–Alg composite in order to fabricate a conductive, hydrophilic, processable and stable scaffold. Physiochemical characterization of nanochitosan/PPy–Alg scaffold such as electrical conductivity, porosity, swelling and degradation was investigated. Moreover, cytotoxicity and proliferation were examined by culturing OLN-93 neural and human dermal fibroblasts cells on the Nanochitosan/PPy–Alg scaffold. Due to the high conductivity, the film with ratio 2:10 (PPy–Alg) was recognized more suitable for fabrication of the final scaffold. Results from FT-IR and SEM, evaluation of porosity, swelling and degradation, as well as viability and proliferation of OLN-93 neural and fibroblast cells confirmed cytocompatiblity of the Nanochitosan/PPy–Alg scaffold. Based on the features of the constructed scaffold, Nanochitosan/PPy–Alg scaffold can be a proper candidate for neural tissue engineering.