Cellulose acetate/poly lactic acid coaxial wet-electrospun scaffold containing citalopram-loaded gelatin nanocarriers for neural tissue engineering applications

The current study aimed to develop a biodegradable three-dimensional drug-loaded scaffold with the core-shell structured fibrils using coaxial wet-electrospinning for neural tissue engineering application. Poly lactic acid was wet-electrospun as the core, whereas cellulose acetate was fabricated into the fibril's shell. The scaffold then was coated with the citalopram-loaded gelatin nanocarriers (CGNs) produced by nanoprecipitation method. Scanning electron microscope observation revealed that the fibrils formed a nonwoven structure with the average diameter of ∼950 nm. The particle size measurement by a dynamic light scattering device showed an average diameter of ∼200 nm. The porosity measurement via the liquid displacement method showed that the scaffold could not meet the accepted ideal porosity percentage of above 80%, and the measured porosity percentage was ∼60%. The contact angle measurement displayed that the CGN coating made the scaffold highly hydrophilic with a zero degree contact angle. In vitro degradation study in the phosphate buffered saline revealed that the weight of the uncoated scaffold remained relatively constant. However, the CGNs-coated scaffold showed ∼45% weight-loss percentage after 40 days. Cytocompatibility evaluation using rat Schwann cells demonstrated that the CGNs-coated scaffold possessed higher cell viability than the uncoated scaffold. Finally, the scaffold was developed into a nerve guidance conduit and surgically implanted in the sciatic nerve defect in Wistar rats. The results of the sciatic functional index, hot plate latency and weight-loss percentage of the wet gastrocnemius muscle, demonstrated that the citalopram-containing scaffold could ameliorate the functional recovery of the sciatic nerve-injured animals which makes it a potential candidate for the neural tissue engineering applications.