Enhanced electrical conductivity and mechanical property with antioxidant hydrogel for neural injury repair: In vitro analysis

The combined effect of endogenous electrical conductivity and antioxidant properties is a promising strategy for repairing and regenerating injured spinal cord tissue. Here, we focus on the development of biocompatible, antioxidant hydrogel scaffold with conductivity and modulus similar to the native spinal cord based on Hyaluronic acid (HA)/Histidine (His)/ Gelatin (Gel) with polyaniline (PANI). The physiochemical characterizations of the prepared materials were analyzed via NMR, FT-IR, XRD, SEM, and TEM techniques. The HA-His-Gel-PANI hydrogel's electrical conductivity and compressive modulus observed were 0.02 S/cm and 2.18 +/- 0.68 kPa, matching the native spinal tissues. The in vitro studies of HA-His-Gel-PANI hydrogel against the PC-12 cell line revealed that the prepared conductive hydrogel shows higher cell viability, antioxidant, and cell migration properties. Thus, HA-His-Gel-PANI hydrogel shows a promising ability for neural injury regeneration and may improve the therapeutic application of neural injury regenerative medicine.