Fabrication of Nanofiber Scaffolds Using Polycaprolactan Containing Silymarin to Study Neural Cell Tissue Engineering

Background & objectives: Tissue engineering is a growing field to repair and replace the defective function of damaged tissue or organ, and today it is proposed as a new treatment to replace conventional transplant methods. For this purpose, polymeric biomaterials (scaffolds) and living cells are used. The purpose of this study is to fabricate polycaprolactan (PCL) nanoscaffold and load silymarin on the nanoscaffold to check the biocompatibility and proliferation ability of pc12 cells on it. Methods: In order to prepare polycaprolactan nanoscaffold and load silymarin on it, 7% polycaprolactan solution (dissolved in acetic acid) was mixed with silymarin solution with a concentration of 0.9% (weight percent), and then the scaffold was prepared using electrospinning device. The morphology of the scaffold was evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the chemical structure of the scaffold was evaluated by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Toxicity of the scaffold and cell survival of PC12 cells were investigated by MTT test and SEM microscope respectively. Results: Examining the morphology of the scaffold and its chemical structure showed the appropriate porosity of the scaffold and the successful loading of silymarin on the PCL scaffold. The toxicity of the scaffold was investigated 24, 48 and 72 hours after the cultivation of PC12 cells, and the results showed an increase in cell viability and proper attachment of cells on the scaffold. Conclusion: The results of this research showed that the loading of silymarin on polycaprolactan scaffold increases the proliferation and survival of PC12 cells. Therefore, this scaffold can be a suitable candidate for nerve tissue engineering.