Figure 5
Effect of SF/PLCL nanofibrous scaffolds on RPC proliferation.
The expression levels of Ki-67 (a marker of cell proliferation) and nestin (a marker of RPCs) in the RPC cultures grown on the different SF/PLCL scaffolds were evaluated under proliferation conditions. (A,B): The expression levels of Ki-67 were significantly increased in the RPC cultures grown on the pure SF and blended SF:PLCL scaffolds compared with the other groups. The expression levels of nestin in the cultures grown on all the scaffolds were comparable to those obtained for the control group. (C–F): After 3 days of culture under proliferation conditions, the RPCs cultured with pure SF, SF:PLCL (1:1), pure PLCL nanofibrous scaffolds and control glass coverslips were immunostained for Ki-67. (G): The analysis of the percentage of Ki-67-positive cells in the RPC cultures grown on different scaffolds showed that the percentage was markedly increased in the RPC cultures seeded on SF:PLCL (1:1) compared with the pure PLCL and control groups. (H): The CCK8 analysis demonstrated that the RPCs cultured on pure SF and blended SF/PLCL nanofibrous scaffolds showed increased proliferation compared with the other groups and the cultures grown on SF:PLCL (1:1) had the highest O.D. values. Notes: The error bars show the standard deviations (n = 3); *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01. Scale bars: 100 μm.
