Figure 9B. SEM images showing cell infiltration of C2C12 cells
cultivated onto cellulose acetate nanofiber (A) and cellulose acetate
nanofiber with annatto extract (B) after seven days. Scale bars indicate
20 µm.
Cell density increased exponentially after 7 days of culture to cover
the surface of the nanofibers (Figure 9A). This corroborates the
findings of the MTT test, in which viability for cells cultured onto the
scaffolds was higher after 7 days of culture due to cell proliferation
(Figure 7B). Almost all the cells stretched along the nanofibers and
exhibited elongated morphology on the CA and CA@A nanofibers. According
to Gurdon et al. (1996) [46], the community effect is a phenomenon
involved in myogenesis in which muscle precursor cells must contact a
sufficient number of like neighbors in order to undergo coordinated
differentiation within developing tissue. Our findings indicate that
cell-cell communication may play an important role in myogenic
differentiation. Myoblasts covered by nanofibers were also present,
suggesting cell migration through the pores of the scaffold (Figure 9B)
and indicating that the porous nature of nanofiber scaffolds is ideal
for myoblasts to infiltrate and may allow vascularization as well as
multiple layers of skeletal muscle cells to form, both crucial processes
for establishing a tissue-like construct [46].