Neuronal growth and differentiation on biodegradable membranes

Semipermeable polymeric membranes with appropriate morphological, physico-chemical and transport properties are relevant to induce the neural regeneration. We developed novel biodegradable membranes for supporting neuronal differentiation. In particular, we developed chitosan, polycaprolactone, polyurethane flat membranes and a biosynthetic blend between polycaprolactone and polyurethane by phase inversion techniques. The biodegradable membranes were characterized in order to evaluate their morphological, physico-chemical, mechanical and degradation properties. We investigated the efficacy of these different membranes to promote adhesion and differentiation of neuronal cells. We employed as model cell system the human neuroblastoma cell line SHSY5Y, which is a well established system for studying neuronal differentiation. The investigation of viability and specific neuronal marker expression allowed to assess that the correct neuronal differentiation and the formation of neuronal network took place in vitro in the cells seeded on the different biodegradable membranes. Overall, this study provides evidence that the neural cell responses depend on the nature of the biodegradable polymer used to form the membranes as well as on the dissolution, hydrophilic and above all the mechanical membrane properties. PCL-PU membranes exhibit mechanical properties that improve the neurite outgrowth and the expression of specific neuronal markers.