Neuronal responses to simply prepared chitosan composite gels

Hydrogels have been favored as scaffolds for brain repair. However, most of the polymers used today for neural tissue scaffold fabrication require chemical functionalization with neuro-adhesive molecules, which raises potential challenges for their clinical applications. In the present study, simply prepared chitosan-based composite gels were developed by physically blending chitosan into agarose hydrogels as a neuro-adhesive component. The responses of primary cortical neuron towards the scaffolds were investigated. Results confirmed the neuro-adhesive property of chitosan. Low molecular weight chitosan supported better neuron adhesion. Neuron differentiation was dependent on chitosan concentration, where 0.66-1.5 wt% was identified as an optimum range for neurite outgrowth.