Functionalized Nanopolyaniline/Fibrin Gel Composite Scaffolds: Implications for the Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular diseases pose a great threat to human health, and so heart tissue engineering might pave a new path to tackle the problem. In this study, we prepared conducive nanoscale polyaniline (PANI), conjugated this kind of nanoparticle onto the surface of a fibrin gel scaffold (PANI–Fibrin) through a chemical oxidative reaction, and then immobilized vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) onto the surface of the scaffold. The structure of the scaffold PANI–Fibrin–VEGF was characterized, and the results suggested effective grafting of PANI and VEGF onto the scaffold. We used the PANI–Fibrin–VEGF scaffold to cultivate myocardial cells (H9C2 cells). It turned out that PANI–Fibrin–VEGF scaffolds promoted cell growth, inhibited cell apoptosis, and were more favorable for promoting the expression of cardiac-specific proteins. Under electrical stimulation, cells on the surface of PANI–Fibrin–VEGF also showed a higher level of cell growth and proliferation and an enhanced expression of characteristic proteins in cardiomyocytes. Finally, the scaffold PANI–Fibrin–VEGF was implanted under the subcutaneous site of the mice abdomen, and the results suggested that the synthetic scaffolds exhibit good biocompatibility and low toxicity. The study indicated that this approach may be an effective strategy for future cardiovascular disease treatment.