A Biomimetic Reverse Thermal Gel for 3-Dimensional Neural Tissue Engineering

Injuries to the nervous system, associated with permanent functional loss, often result in irregularly shaped lesions. With an aim to develop surgical implantation that fits to irregular shapes of injuries, we synthesised a biomimetic reverse thermal gel (or thermo-responsive gel). We initially synthesized poly(serinolhexamethylene urea)-co-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PSHUNIPAAm) and subsequently conjugated a pentapeptide, Gly-Arg-Gly-AspSer(GRGDS) (PSHU-NIPAAm-GRGDS), which showed ideal temperaturedependent thermal gelling properties. We investigated 3D neuronal growth capacity of PSHU-NIPAAm-GRGDS using PC12 cell. The concentration of the gels significantly affected cellular behavior, where a greater degree of proliferation was observed with lower gel concentrations. Cellular assays demonstrated enhanced cell viability and differentiation in PSHU-NIPAAmGRGDS compared to non-functionalized PSHU-NIPAAm.