Neural Stem Cell Affinity of Chitosan and Feasibility of Chitosan-Based Porous Conduits as Scaffolds for Nerve Tissue Engineering

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are currently considered as powerful candidate seeding cells for regeneration of both spinal cords and peripheral nerves. In this study, NSCs derived from fetal rat cortices were co-cultured with chitosan to evaluate the cell affinity of this material. The results showed that NSCs grew and proliferated well on chitosan films and most of them differentiated into neuron-like cells after 4 days of culture. Then, molded and braided chitosan conduits were fabricated and characterized for their cytotoxicity, swelling, and mechanical properties. Both types of conduits had no cytotoxic effects on fibroblasts (L929 cells) or neuroblastoma (Neuro-2a) cells. The molded conduits are much softer and more flexible while the braided conduits possess much better mechanical properties, which suggests different potential applications.