In vitro evaluation of the effects of electrospun PCL nanofiber mats containing the microalgae Spirulina (Arthrospira) extract on primary astrocytes

The blue-green microalgae, Spirulina, a harmless food and pharmaceutical additive, has several bioactive compounds that have therapeutic functions. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer that has widely been used for tissue engineering. The electrospun PCL nanofiber containing Spirulina (PCL-Spirulina) was fabricated and tested as a potential extracellular matrix material for a culture of primary astrocytes, which play important roles in CNS injured systems. Spirulina extract was observed to increase growth and metabolic activity of rat primary astrocytes without any harm once added to the culture media. However, PCL-Spirulina nanofiber was proven to alleviate astrocyte activity. Through this research and to the best of our knowledge, we first suggest a novel composite nanomaterial, an electrospun PCL-Spirulina nanofiber that could be used to treat CNS injured systems.

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► We first fabricated PCL electrospun nanofiber containing Spirulina.
► We tested PCL-Spirulina nanofiber for the culture of primary astrocytes.
► PCL-Spirulina nanofiber alleviated astrocyte metabolism without cytotoxicity.
► PCL-Spirulina nanofiber can be suggested for CNS injured systems.