Crosslinked gelatin nanofibres: Preparation, characterisation and in vitro studies using glial-like cells

Gelatin (GL) nanofibrous matrices mimicking the complex biological structure of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) were prepared from aqueous solutions by electrospinning technique. GL nanofibres with a diameter size of around 300 nm were obtained optimising the process and solution parameters. To increase the GL stability in aqueous environment γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) was used as GL crosslinker. GPTMS crosslinking did not modify the nanofibrous matrix morphology: fibre diameter and membrane pores size were 327 ± 45 nm and 1.64 ± 0.37 μm, respectively. The produced GPTMS crosslinked GL nanofibres (GL/GPTMS_NF) were found to support the in vitro adhesion, proliferation and survival of neonatal olfactory bulb ensheating cells (NOBECs).