Microporous proteosaccharide platforms for potential neural tissue engineering applications

An extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimetic scaffold can greatly improve the therapeutic outcomes of patients suffering with traumatic brain injuries by providing cues for regenerating neurons at the lesion site. For this, a proteosaccharide scaffold comprising of a self-assembling peptide (PuramatrixTM i.e. RADA-16 I) and chitosan was synthesised. The scaffold undergoes in situ gelation and serve as a surrogate matrix upon which neurons can proliferate as the scaffold degrades. The scaffold showed increased thermal stability, preservation of the secondary structure of Puramatrix, a microporous architecture, and slower degradation. The scaffold also promoted the proliferation of rat adrenal medulla cells with a cell viability of 163.19% over 72 h. This scaffold shows great potential for neuroregeneration.