Gradient degradable nerve guidance conduit with multilayer structure prepared by electrospinning

Polymeric nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) with uniform tubular structure are widely used as scaffolds in nerve tissue engineering. However, massive collapse of NGCs has greatly impeded their further application. Therefore, the gradient degradable nerve guidance conduit (GD-NGC) with multilayer structure is designed and fabricated via electrospinning technique. The GD-NGC consists of five poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) layers with different polylactic acid (PLA)/polyglycolic acid (PGA) ratios. Compared to common NGCs, the novel GD-NGC degrades moderately and stepwise from inner to outer layers and also exhibits equivalent or better characteristics, such as porosity, water absorption capacity, mechanical property and biocompatibility. Collectively, GD-NGC has a promising potential for applications in nerve tissue engineering.