Electroactive Tissue Scaffolds with Aligned Pores as Instructive Platforms for Biomimetic Tissue Engineering

John G Hardy; R Chase Cornelison; Rushi C Sukhavasi; Richard J Saballos; Philip Vu; David L Kaplan; Christine E Schmidt

doi:10.3390/bioengineering2010015

Electroactive Tissue Scaffolds with Aligned Pores as Instructive Platforms for Biomimetic Tissue Engineering

Bioengineering (Basel). 2015 Jan 14;2(1):15-34. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering2010015.

Authors

John G Hardy^{1

2}, R Chase Cornelison^{3

4}, Rushi C Sukhavasi⁵, Richard J Saballos⁶, Philip Vu⁷, David L Kaplan⁸, Christine E Schmidt^{9

10}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA. johnhardyuk@gmail.com.
² Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Biomedical Sciences Building JG-53, P.O. Box 116131, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. johnhardyuk@gmail.com.
³ Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA. rcorneli@utexas.edu.
⁴ Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Biomedical Sciences Building JG-53, P.O. Box 116131, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. rcorneli@utexas.edu.
⁵ Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA. rushisukhavasi@gmail.com.
⁶ Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Biomedical Sciences Building JG-53, P.O. Box 116131, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. richardsaballos@live.com.
⁷ Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Biomedical Sciences Building JG-53, P.O. Box 116131, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. p.philip.v@gmail.com.
⁸ Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA. david.kaplan@tufts.edu.
⁹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA. schmidt@bme.ufl.edu.
¹⁰ Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Biomedical Sciences Building JG-53, P.O. Box 116131, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. schmidt@bme.ufl.edu.

Abstract

Tissues in the body are hierarchically structured composite materials with tissue-specific chemical and topographical properties. Here we report the preparation of tissue scaffolds with macroscopic pores generated via the dissolution of a sacrificial supramolecular polymer-based crystal template (urea) from a biodegradable polymer-based scaffold (polycaprolactone, PCL). Furthermore, we report a method of aligning the supramolecular polymer-based crystals within the PCL, and that the dissolution of the sacrificial urea yields scaffolds with macroscopic pores that are aligned over long, clinically-relevant distances (i.e., centimeter scale). The pores act as topographical cues to which rat Schwann cells respond by aligning with the long axis of the pores. Generation of an interpenetrating network of polypyrrole (PPy) and poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) in the scaffolds yields electroactive tissue scaffolds that allow the electrical stimulation of Schwann cells cultured on the scaffolds which increases the production of nerve growth factor (NGF).

Keywords: electroactive polymers; microfabrication; nerve guide; peripheral nerve; plastic electronics; topography.

Grants and funding

R21 EY019571/EY/NEI NIH HHS/United States