Development of Nanofiber Sponges-Containing Nerve Guidance Conduit for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration in Vivo

Abstract

In the study of hollow nerve guidance conduit (NGC), the dispersion of regenerated axons always confused researchers. To address this problem, filler-containing NGC was prepared, which showed better effect in the application of nerve tissue engineering. In this study, nanofiber sponges with abundant macropores, high porosity, and superior compressive strength were fabricated by electrospinning and freeze-drying. Poly(l-lactic acid-co-ε-caprolactone)/silk fibroin (PLCL/SF) nanofiber sponges were used as filler to prepare three-dimensional nanofiber sponges-containing (NS-containing) NGC. In order to study the effect of fillers for nerve regeneration, hollow NGC was set as control. In vitro cell viability studies indicated that the NS-containing NGC could enhance the proliferation of Schwann cells (SCs) due to the macroporous structure. The results of hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and immunofluorescence staining confirmed that SCs infiltrated into the nanofiber sponges. Subsequently, the NS-containing NGC was implanted in a rat sciatic nerve defect model to evaluate the effect in vivo. NS-containing NGC group performed better in nerve function recovery than hollow NGC group. In consideration of the walking track and triceps weight analysis, NS-containing NGC was close to the autograft group. In addition, histological and morphological analyses with HE and toluidine blue (TB) staining, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were conducted. Better nerve regeneration was observed on NS-containing NGC group both quantitatively and qualitatively. Furthermore, the results of three indexes' immuno-histochemistry and two indexes' immunofluorescence all indicated good nerve regeneration of NS-containing NGC as well, compared with hollow NGC. The results demonstrated NS-containing NGC had great potential in the application of peripheral nerve repair.

Repairing Transected Peripheral Nerve Using a Biomimetic Nerve Guidance Conduit Containing Intraluminal Sponge Fillers

“…Furthermore, OBC‐COL intraluminal sponge fillers exhibited an interconnected structure with porosity and average pore diameter of 71.6 ± 2.6% and 58.0 ± 1.5 µm, respectively (Figure h and Table ). The pore size distribution of OBC‐COL intraluminal sponge fillers was ranged from 1 to 350 µm, which are benefit for Schwann cells (SCs) adhesion and proliferation (Figure g,h) . The TS and YM values of OBC‐COL intraluminal sponge fillers were 0.6 ± 0.1 and 47.1 ± 0.8 MPa, respectively (Figure i and Table ).…”

“…Construction of ISF‐NGC—Preparation of OBC‐COL Intraluminal Sponge Fillers : The OBC‐COL intraluminal sponge fillers were prepared according to the following steps: 1) Preparation of OBC: OBC was prepared in aqueous solution by the addition of predetermined amounts of sodium periodate according to our previously study . 2) Preparation of OBC‐COL sponge fillers: Crosslinking between OBC and COL was accomplished by the Schiff base reaction between CHO in OBC and NH 2 in COL molecules (Figure S1, Supporting Information).…”

Tailoring degradation rates of silk fibroin scaffolds for tissue engineering

“…The porosity percentage of the SF scaffolds is listed in Figure f . The porosities increased from about 62.22 to 66.67% with the increased Mw, which is sufficient to provide an opportunity for cell migration and nutrient transportation …”

Moving Electrospun Nanofibers and Bioprinted Scaffolds toward Translational Applications

“…In this regard, 3D scaffolds consisting of nanofibers are of great importance. Recently, 3D aerogels made of short nanofibers and directly expanded 3D nanofibrous scaffolds have been developed for use in tissue repair and regeneration . For example, the Mo Group at Donghua University, China, demonstrated the fabrication of superabsorbent 3D scaffolds from short nanofibers made of a blend of gelatin and poly(lactic acid) (PLA).…”