Nanofibrous nerve guides have gained huge interest in supporting the peripheral nerve regeneration due
to their abilities to simulate the topography, mechanical, biological and extracellular matrix morphology
of native tissue. Gum tragacanth (GT) is a biocompatible mixture of polysaccharides that has been used
in biomedical applications. During this study, we fabricated aligned and random nanofibers from poly(llactic acid) and gum tragacanth (PLLA/GT) in various ratios (100:0, 75:25, and 50:50) by electrospinning.
Scanning electron microscope demonstrated smooth and uniform nanofibers with diameters in the range
of 733 ± 65 nm and 226 ± 73 nm for align PLLA and random PLLA/GT 50:50 nanofibers, respectively. FTIR
analysis, contact angle, in vitro biodegradation and tensile measurements were carried out to evaluate
the chemical and mechanical properties of the different scaffolds. PLLA/GT 75:25 exhibited the most
balanced properties compared to other scaffolds and was used for in vitro culture of nerve cells (PC12) to
assess the potential of using these scaffolds as a substrate for nerve regeneration. The cells were found to
attach and proliferate on aligned PLLA/GT 75:25 scaffolds, expressing bi-polar neurite extensions and the
orientation of nerve cells was along the direction ofthe fiber alignment. Results of 8 days of in vitro culture
of PC12 cells on aligned PLLA/GT 75:25 nanofibers, showed 20% increase in cell proliferation compared to
PLLA/GT 75:25 random nanofibers. PLLA/GT 75:25 aligned nanofibers acted as a favorable cue to support
neurite outgrowth and nerve cell elongation compared with PLLA nanofibers. Our results showed that
aligned PLLA/GT 75:25 nanofibers are promising substrates for application as bioengineered grafts for
nerve tissue regeneration.