Biological evaluation of macroporous scaffolds with different surface energies for regeneration of the central nervous system

Abstract

[Excerpt] Central nervous system trauma and neurodegenerative diseases involve massive neuronal and glial cell death and loss of the threedimensional spatial organization and connectivity of the neuronal networks. In this work we employ a biostable model system to study differentiation and viability of neural precursors in 3D scaffolds. Polymer scaffolds with interconnected porous with 90 microns of pore size were produced varying the hydrophobic-hydrophilic monomeric units ratio along the polymer chain. The materials studied, biocompatible and biostable, were polymer or copolymer networks based on the hydrophobic homopolymer poly(ethyl acrylate), PEA, and its copolymers with hydroxyethyl acrylate, p(EA-co-HEA) and methacrylic acid, p(EA-co-MAAc). In these biomaterials, the survival of differentiated functional neurons derived from cultured subventricular zone (SVZ) postnatal neural stem cells was investigated. [...]