Eumelanin Nanoparticles-incorporated Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofibrous Composite as Electroconductive Scaffold for Skeletal Muscle Tissue Engineering

Eumelanins are melanocyte-derived natural pigments with inherent electrical cues and
outstanding physico-chemical properties, which enhance the electroconductivity of the
synthetic polymeric scaffold, upon incorporation as nanoparticles. Electrospun nanofibrous
meshes generated from such composite polymers are of great interest for muscle tissue
engineering applications. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of fabricating
nanofibrous scaffolds of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) incorporated with eumelanin nanoparticles
(EUNp) by electrospinning and further assessed their impact on myogenic differentiation of
skeletal myoblasts. Morphological and physico-chemical analysis of EUNp-PVA nanofibrous
mesh showed uniform, bead-free, thermally stable and randomly oriented nanofibers (450 ±
10 nm) with effective retention of the incorporated EUNp, without any chemical crossreactivity.
Voltammetric measurements of EUNp-PVA mesh exhibits stable electrical
conductivity (~4.0 S cm-1), which was undetectable in plain PVA meshes. In vitro
cytocompatibility studies showed significant increase in viability, proliferation and metabolic
activity of the seeded C2C12 myoblast on EUNp-PVA mesh compared to controls.
Interestingly, EUNp-PVA nanofibers supported reorganization of C2C12 myoblast, with
comparatively longer and wider myotubes-like structures formed. Our results suggest that
EUNp-PVA composite nanofibrous scaffold with inherent electroconductive properties of
incorporated EUNp and topographical cues of PVA nanofibers could be an excellent
biomaterial scaffold for skeletal muscle tissue engineering application.