LAUSR

In this paper we report dual-function (high cell attachment and cell viability) fibrous scaffolds featuring aligned fibers, displaying good biocompatibility and no cytotoxicity. We fabricated these scaffolds through the electrospinning of a co-polypeptide comprising molar equivalents of N6 -carbobenzyloxy-l-lysine and γ-benzyl-l-glutamate, with the lysine moieties enhancing cell adhesion and the neural-stimulating glutamate moieties improving cell viability. These new scaffolds allowed neural cells to attach and grow effectively without any special surface treatment or coating. Pheochromocytoma (PC-12) cells grown on these scaffolds exhibited better neuronal activity and longer neurite length, relative to those grown on scaffolds prepared from their respective homo-polypeptides. When we partially hydrolyzed the scaffolds such that they presented net positive charge and increased hydrophilicity, the cell viability and neurite growth both increased further. Accordingly, these novel co-polypeptide fibrous scaffolds have potential applications in neural tissue engineering. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.