Degradable X-Ca-Alginate Aerogels as neuronal scaffolds-investigation of pc12 cells-substrate interface

Aerogels are a special class of nanostructured materials derived by sol-gel chemistry with tunable properties including extreme low density and high porosity. Applications of aerogels have a wide range from water treatment, thermal insulation and aircrafts. The biomedical applications of aerogels include drug delivery, regenerative medicine, wound healing, and biosensing. This group has focused on the use of aerogels as neuronal scaffold due to their 3-D structure which mimics the topography of tissues. Previously, the ideal material properties to tailor aerogels for peripheral nerve repair was systematically investigated by correlating the in vitro neural response to surface properties of aerogels such as stiffness, surface roughness, and conductivity as well as to external electrical bias. The degradation behavior of polyurea crosslinked calcium alginate (X-Ca-Alg) aerogels over time have been previously investigated. In this study, the suitability of X-Ca-Alg aerogels as neuronal scaffolds is examined. The in vitro evaluation of PC12 neuronal cells is analyzed over time when using a degradable scaffold. The use of molecular biology and material science is mixed to analyze and understand how degradable scaffolds affects neuronal tissue regeneration.