Beneficial effects of biodelivery of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and gold nanoparticles from functionalized electrospun PLGA scaffold for nerve tissue engineering

Despite of the pivotal role of Schwann cells (SCs) in peripheral nerve regeneration, lack of an available source has prompted researches for Schwann-like cells transdifferentiation. This study suggests an effective method for tuning the surface of aligned poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanofibers to enhance attachment and proliferation of h-ADSCs on the scaffold through coating of laminin. Following the characterization of biofunctionalized PLGA, brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs), added into laminin solution, and coated on the surface of aligned PLGA scaffold. The release behavior of BDNF and AuNPs from scaffold was evaluated by Bradford assay and inductive coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) technique, respectively. Afterwards, experimental groups were investigated for potential of Schwann cell differentiation using immunocytochemical staining and real-time RT-PCR technique. Results of MTT assay showed the significantly higher proliferation of h-ADSCs on laminin-functionalized scaffold compared to PLGA scaffold (p  <  0.05). Additionally, the presence of BDNF and AuNPs on scaffold significantly improved the expression of SCs markers as compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Therefore, use of biofunctionalized PLGA nanofibers can be a promising strategy for inducing the differentiation of h-ADSCs into SCs for nerve tissue engineering.