Effect of Local Delivery of GDNF Conjugated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on Nerve Regeneration along Long Chitosan Nerve Guide

Abstract

Local delivery of neurotrophic factors is a pillar of neural repair strategies in the peripheral nervous system. The main disadvantage of the free growth factors is their short half-life of few minutes. In previous studies, it was demonstrated that conjugation of various neurotrophic factors to iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP) led to stabilization of the growth factors and to the extension of their biological activity compared to the free factors. In vitro studies performed on organotypic dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cultures seeded in NVR gel (composed mainly of hyaluronic acid and laminin) revealed that the glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) conjugated to IONP-enhanced early nerve fiber sprouting and accelerated the onset and progression of myelin significantly earlier than the free GDNF and other free and conjugated factors. The present article summarizes results of in vivo study, aimed to test the effect of free versus conjugated GDNF on regeneration of the rat sciatic nerve after a severe segment loss. We confirmed that nerve device enriched with a matrix with GDNF gives more successful results in term of regeneration and functional recovery in respect to the hollow tube; moreover, there are no detectable differences between free versus conjugated GDNF.

Anisotropic architecture and electrical stimulation enhance neuron cell behaviour on a tough graphene embedded PVA: alginate fibrous scaffold

“…Peripheral nerve injuries caused by trauma or oncologic resection are a frequent cause of significant functional impairment and long-term disability in patients due to the limited intrinsic capacity of nerves to repair after damage. 1 Currently, few effective solutions are available to successfully promote peripheral nerve regeneration and functional recovery, 2 aside from autologous nerve grafting which results in donor site morbidity, loss of sensation, and neuroma formation. Tissue engineering is a promising strategy to regenerate human tissues or organs 3 with the aim to restore and maintain the functionality of damaged tissues.…”