TY - JOUR

T1 - Pvdf and p(Vdf-trfe) electrospun scaffolds for nerve graft engineering

T2 - A comparative study on piezoelectric and structural properties, and in vitro biocompatibility

AU - Gryshkov, Oleksandr

AU - Al Halabi, Fedaa

AU - Kuhn, Antonia Isabel

AU - Leal-Marin, Sara

AU - Freund, Lena Julie

AU - Förthmann, Maria

AU - Meier, Nils

AU - Barker, Sven Alexander

AU - Haastert-Talini, Kirsten

AU - Glasmacher, Birgit

N1 - Funding Information: This work has in part been supported by the International Neurobionics Foundation, Dr. Heinz Lindemann Foundation, Victor-Rizkallah-Foundation as well as Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. The publication of this article was funded by the Open Access Fund of Leibniz University Hannover.The authors are grateful to Henning Menzel (Institute for Technical Chemistry, Braunschweig University of Technology) for providing a device for zeta potential measurements. Authors express their gratitude to Igor Katz, Julia Guewa, Katerina Zelena, Silvana Taubeler-Gerling, Jennifer Metzen, and Maike Wesemann for their excellent technical assistance. We thank Klaus E. Goehrmann and the International Neurobionics Foundation board for the partial financial support of this study.

PY - 2021/10/21

Y1 - 2021/10/21

N2 - Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and its copolymer with trifluoroethylene (P(VDF-TrFE)) are considered as promising biomaterials for supporting nerve regeneration because of their proven biocompatibility and piezoelectric properties that could stimulate cell ingrowth due to their electrical activity upon mechanical deformation. For the first time, this study reports on the comparative analysis of PVDF and P(VDF-TrFE) electrospun scaffolds in terms of structural and piezoelectric properties as well as their in vitro performance. A dynamic impact test machine was developed, validated, and utilised, to evaluate the generation of an electrical voltage upon the application of an impact load (varying load magnitude and frequency) onto the electrospun PVDF (15–20 wt%) and P(VDF-TrFE) (10–20 wt%) scaffolds. The cytotoxicity and in vitro performance of the scaffolds was evaluated with neonatal rat (nrSCs) and adult human Schwann cells (ahSCs). The neurite outgrowth behaviour from sensory rat dorsal root ganglion neurons cultured on the scaffolds was analysed qualitatively. The results showed (i) a significant increase of the β-phase content in the PVDF after electrospinning as well as a zeta potential similar to P(VDF-TrFE), (ii) a non-constant behaviour of the longitudinal piezoelectric strain constant d33, depending on the load and the load frequency, and (iii) biocompatibility with cultured Schwann cells and guiding properties for sensory neurite outgrowth. In summary, the electrospun PVDF-based scaffolds, representing piezoelectric activity, can be considered as promising materials for the development of artificial nerve conduits for the peripheral nerve injury repair.

AB - Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and its copolymer with trifluoroethylene (P(VDF-TrFE)) are considered as promising biomaterials for supporting nerve regeneration because of their proven biocompatibility and piezoelectric properties that could stimulate cell ingrowth due to their electrical activity upon mechanical deformation. For the first time, this study reports on the comparative analysis of PVDF and P(VDF-TrFE) electrospun scaffolds in terms of structural and piezoelectric properties as well as their in vitro performance. A dynamic impact test machine was developed, validated, and utilised, to evaluate the generation of an electrical voltage upon the application of an impact load (varying load magnitude and frequency) onto the electrospun PVDF (15–20 wt%) and P(VDF-TrFE) (10–20 wt%) scaffolds. The cytotoxicity and in vitro performance of the scaffolds was evaluated with neonatal rat (nrSCs) and adult human Schwann cells (ahSCs). The neurite outgrowth behaviour from sensory rat dorsal root ganglion neurons cultured on the scaffolds was analysed qualitatively. The results showed (i) a significant increase of the β-phase content in the PVDF after electrospinning as well as a zeta potential similar to P(VDF-TrFE), (ii) a non-constant behaviour of the longitudinal piezoelectric strain constant d33, depending on the load and the load frequency, and (iii) biocompatibility with cultured Schwann cells and guiding properties for sensory neurite outgrowth. In summary, the electrospun PVDF-based scaffolds, representing piezoelectric activity, can be considered as promising materials for the development of artificial nerve conduits for the peripheral nerve injury repair.

KW - Dynamic impact machine

KW - Electrospinning

KW - In vitro performance

KW - Nerve conduit

KW - Neurite outgrowth

KW - Peripheral nervous system

KW - Piezoelectric module

KW - Polyvinylidene fluoride

KW - Polyvinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene

KW - Scaffold

KW - Zeta potential

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85117389050&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/ijms222111373

DO - 10.3390/ijms222111373

M3 - Article

C2 - 34768804

AN - SCOPUS:85117389050

VL - 22

JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

SN - 1661-6596

IS - 21

M1 - 11373

ER -