Figure 3.

PC12 cell neurite outgrowth and differentiation on sapeptide scaffolds with and without NGF. All images are merged stacks of multiple confocal optical sections. (A) NGF preprimed PC12 cells attached to sapeptide scaffolds. The cells projected extensive neurites that follow the contour of the scaffold after NGF treatment. The black spots on the image are holes in the scaffold. (B) Untreated PC12 cells attach to peptide scaffolds, but do not project neurites. Clusters of cell bodies appear as large white areas. All confocal micrographs were collected 10 days after the cells were introduced to the peptide scaffolds. Cell-laden sapeptide scaffolds were moved from cell-culture wells to glass slides for image collection. The micrographs are representative of at least four experiments for each condition. Bar = 50 μm for both A and B.