Customization and tuning of the degradation rate of X–Ca–alginate aerogels in the presence of PC 12 cells

Abstract

Degradable substrates for nerve regeneration are of great interest due to the avoidance of a second surgery to remove non-degradable implants. Aerogels are a class of materials with great promise in the medical field as they have been proven to increase nerve regeneration. Therefore, degradable aerogels show promise as neuronal scaffolds. In this study, polyurea-crosslinked calcium alginate (X–Ca–Alg) aerogels were studied in vitro, showing a rapid change in area, especially within the first few hours. Stiffness changes were also observed to decrease over time. Previous studies have shown an increase in regeneration rate in nerve cells with an electrical bias. Therefore, X–Ca–Alg aerogels were monitored in vitro under the influence of a DC bias. PC12 neuronal cells adhered to and extended neurites on X–Ca–Alg aerogels and showed changes based on the timeline of aerogel area change. These findings show the promising medical applications of X–Ca–Alg aerogels as degradable nerve scaffolds.