Stem cell differentiation on conducting polyaniline

Abstract

Polyaniline is a promising conducting polymer with broad application potential in biomedicine. Its medical use, however, requires both biocompatibility and suitable physico-chemical and surface properties. The microstructure, electrical properties, and surface characteristics of polyaniline salt, polyaniline base, and polyaniline deposited with biologically active poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) were revealed using atomic force microscopy, contact angle measurements, and Raman spectroscopy. As conducting polymers can be preferentially applied in tissue engineering of heart and nervous tissues, the cardiomyogenesis in pure cardiomyocytes derived from embryonic stem cells and neurogenesis in neural progenitors isolated from embryonal 13 dpc brain were further investigated. The results show that neither cardiomyogenesis nor neurogenesis were influenced by any of the tested polyaniline films. However, the most favorable cell behaviour was observed on pristine polyaniline base; therefore, polyaniline in pristine forms without any further modification can be applied in a variety of biomedical fields. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015.