Biodegradable and conductive hyperbranched terpolymers based on aliphatic polyester, poly(<scp>D</scp>,<scp>L</scp>-lactide), and polyaniline used as scaffold in tissue engineering

Abstract

Designing the novel conductive and biodegradable scaffolds based on star-like hyperbranched terpolymers of aliphatic polyester–poly(D,L-lactide)–polyaniline (S-HAP–PLA–PANI) was the purpose of this research. The electroactivity of tissue engineering scaffold, which in the current work was for the presence of PANI, is an essential factor in its performance because the electrical signals are the pivotal physiological stimuli that control the adhesion and differentiation of various cell types. Star-shaped polymers have attracted conspicuous attention, thanks to their low-cost, well-defined highly functionalized structures and low crystallinity, and they also could be an interesting alternative to the linear analogs for their interaction with surrounding tissue and faster degradation rate. In the present work, after 12 weeks, the mass loses for S-HAP–PLA–PANI sample were calculated to be 45%. Scaffolds based on S-HAP–PLA–PANI/PLA nanofibers having the average diameter of 70–200 nm and electrical conductivity of 0.05 S cm−1 imitated the natural microenvironment of extra cellular matrix to regulate the cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation.