Biological evaluation of PRGD/PDLLA for nerve regeneration scaffold

Objective: To develop a novel scaffold for nerve regeneration and explore its biocompatibility through culturing Schwann cells (SCs) on it an in vivo implantation. Methods: A novel scaffold of PDLLA with arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide (PRGD/PDLLA) was synthesized.The proliferation of Schwann cells (SCs) concultured with PDLLA films (control group) and PRGD/PDLLA films were evaluated by MTT assay and scanning electron microscope observation. Then, histological assessment and ELISA testing on inflammatory-related cytokines TGF-β1 were performed. Results: compared with PDLLA, PRGD/PDLLA films possesses better hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, degradation property and less inflammatory reaction. Conclusion: The present study indicated that PRGD/PDLLA scaffolds would meet the requirements of artificial nerve scaffold and have a potential application in the fields of nerve regeneration.