Fabrication and characterization of conductive polypyrrole/chitosan/collagen electrospun nanofiber scaffold for tissue engineering application

Conductive electrospun nanofiber scaffold containing conductive polypyrrole (PPy) polymer was fabricated to accelerate healing of damaged tissues. In order to prepare these scaffolds, various weight percentages of polypyrrole (5, 10, 15, 20, 25%) relative to the polymers combination (chitosan, collagen, and polyethylene oxide) were used. The fabricated composite scaffolds were characterized using chemical, morphological, physio-mechanical, and biological analyses including; FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, electrical conductivity, tensile test, in vitro degradation, MTT Assay and cell culture. The polypyrrole particles were perfectly dispersed inside the nanofibers, and the fibers average diameter were reducing by increasing the polypyrrole content in the composites. The presence of polypyrrole in fibers enhanced their conductivity up to 164.274 × 10−3 s/m which is in the range of semi-conductive and conductive polymers. MTT and SEM analyses displayed that nanofibers composing 10% polypyrrole possess better cell adhesion, growth and proliferation properties comparing to other compositions. Furthermore, the suitable mechanical properties of scaffolds ideally fitted them for different kinds of tissue applications including skin, nerve, heart muscle, etc. Therefore, these fabricated conductive nanofiber scaffolds are particularly appropriate for employing in body parts with electrical signals such as cardiovascular, heart muscles, or nerves.