Conducting polymer-based scaffolds receive biological and electrical signals from the extracellular matrix (ECM) or peripheral cells, thereby promoting cell growth and differentiation. Chitin, a natural polymer, is widely used as a scaffold because it is biocompatible, biodegradable, and nontoxic. In this study, we used an electrospinning technique to fabricate conductive scaffolds from aligned chitin/polyaniline (Chi/PANi) nanofibers for the directional guidance of cells. Pure chitin and random and aligned Chi/PANi nanofiber scaffolds were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and by assessing wettability, mechanical properties, and electrical conductivity. The diameters of aligned Chi/PANi nanofibers were confirmed to be smaller than those of pure chitin and random nanofibers owing to electrostatic forces and stretching produced by rotational forces of the drum collector. The electrical conductivity of aligned Chi/PANi nanofiber scaffolds was ~91% higher than that of random nanofibers. We also studied the viability of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) cultured on Chi/PANi nanofiber scaffolds in vitro using a CCK-8 assay, and found that cell viability on the aligned Chi/PANi nanofiber scaffolds was ~2.1-fold higher than that on random Chi/PANi nanofiber scaffolds after 7 days of culture. Moreover, cells on aligned nanofiber scaffolds spread in the direction of the aligned nanofibers (bipolar), whereas cells on the random nanofibers showed no spreading (6 h of culture) or multipolar patterns (7 days of culture). These results suggest that aligned Chi/PANi nanofiber scaffolds with conductivity exert effects that could improve survival and proliferation of cells with directionality.
Keywords: Chitin; aligned nanofiber; electrospinning; polyaniline; scaffolds.