Figure 10. F-actin fluorescence staining in C2C12 cells
cultivated for 7 days on cellulose acetate (A) and cellulose acetate
nanofiber with annatto extract (B). Cell nuclei and F-actin were stained
with DAPI (blue) and phalloidin (orange), respectively. Scale bar: 500
µm.
To do so, cells were cultivated on the nanofibers for 7 days, since the
actin cytoskeleton in this system is more easily resolved in higher
density samples. C2C12 myoblasts can be found in a wide range of
morphologies in vitro and progressively change shape during the
fusion/differentiation process to become elongated and fusiform
[47]. We found that the cells cultivated onto the CA nanofibers were
aligned and elongated (Figure 10A), suggesting that they were beginning
the differentiation process. The cells cultivated onto the CA@A
nanofibers were thinner and elongated (Figure 10B), with random
orientation of the actin cytoskeleton. This indicates that the shape of
the cells growing in the CA nanofiber may be related to greater capacity
for cell differentiation in this matrix, whereas myoblasts in the CA@A
nanofibers may have a greater chance of proliferating before the
differentiation process begins.