Chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) (CS/PVA) conjugated nerve growth factor (NGF) scaffolds for potential neural tissue engineering purposes were prepared using electrospinning. NGF was incorporated onto the electrospun nanofibers to mimic the biochemical properties of the neural tissue. Upon current protocol, cell proliferation significantly imitates by ECM surface topography, matrix porosity, surface area, and chemical structure of electrospun scaffolds. CS/PVA conjugated NGF scaffolds were further assessed in terms of attachment and proliferation of SKNMC and U373 cell lines. The thermodynamic parameters of binding of NGF on CS/PVA scaffolds and the NGF releasing rate were evaluated. It has been shown that the electrospun CS/PVA conjugated NGF nanocomposite fibers possess high surface-area-to-volume ratio to support the attachment and proliferation rate of both cell types. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.