Increased neuritogenesis on ternary nanofiber matrices of PLCL and laminin decorated with black phosphorus

Abstract Recently, the composites of varying biomaterials and two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have been increasingly developed in the field of tissue engineering and regeneration owing to their excellent physicochemical and mechanical properties. In particular, the combination of biocompatible polymers and 2D nanomaterials can endow the nanocomposite with novel biofunctional properties while maintaining the inherent character of every single material. These nanocomposites are known to have the potential for improvement of cellular behaviors such as cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. In this study, poly(l-lactide-co-e-caprolactone) (PLCL) and laminin (Lam) nanofibers functionalized with black phosphorus (BP) were successfully fabricated to increase the neuritogenesis of HT22 hippocampal neuronal cells using an electrospinning process. The ternary nanofiber matrices of PLCL/Lam/BP were found to be suitable for supporting the attachment and proliferation of hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, these PLCL/Lam/BP nanofiber matrices could not only promote neurite outgrowth and alignment but also increase the neuritogenesis of hippocampal neurons by providing optimal microenvironments for neuronal differentiation. The underlying mechanism of this phenomenon was confirmed by determining the expression levels of genes related to neurogenesis. In conclusion, these results suggest that BP-functionalized composite nanofibers could be a promising candidate as a scaffold for neural tissue engineering and regeneration.