Enhancement of nerve regeneration through schwann cell-mediated healing in a 3D printed polyacrylonitrile conduit incorporating hydrogel and graphene quantum dots: a study on rat sciatic nerve injury model

Abstract

Despite recent technological advancements, effective healing from sciatic nerve damage remains inadequate. Cell-based therapies offer a promising alternative to autograft restoration for peripheral nerve injuries, and 3D printing techniques can be used to manufacture conduits with controlled diameter and size. In this study, we investigated the potential of Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) differentiated into schwann cells, using a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) conduit filled with fibrin hydrogel and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) to promote nerve regeneration in a rat sciatic nerve injury model. We investigated the potential of WJMSCs, extracted from the umbilical cord, to differentiate into schwann cells and promote nerve regeneration in a rat sciatic nerve injury model. WJMSCs were 3D cultured and differentiated into schwann cells within fibrin gel for two weeks. A 3 mm defect was created in the sciatic nerve of the rat model, which was then regenerated using a conduit/fibrin, conduit covered with schwann cells in fibrin/GQDs, GQDs in fibrin, and a control group without any treatment (n = 6/group). At 10 weeks after transplantation, motor and sensory functions and histological improvement were assessed. The WJMSCs were extracted, identified, and differentiated. The differentiated cells expressed typical schwann cell markers, S100 and P75. In vivo investigations established the durability and efficacy of the conduit to resist the pressures over two months of implantation. Histological measurements showed conduit efficiency, schwann cell infiltration, and association within the fibrin gel and lumen. Rats treated with the composite hydrogel-filled PAN conduit with GQDs showed significantly higher sensorial recovery than the other groups. Histological results showed that this group had significantly more axon numbers and remyelination than others. Our findings suggest that the conduit/schwann approach has the potential to improve nerve regeneration in peripheral nerve injuries, with future therapeutic implications.

Enhancing Hydrogels with Quantum Dots

“…This advancement in nerve regeneration was achieved through the implementation of a three-dimensional-printed hydrogel conduit. Specifically, the conduit, composed of 3D-printed polyacrylonitrile with graphene quantum dots and fibrin hydrogel, was applied to a sciatic nerve injury model, resulting in enhanced motor and sensory functions, as well as notable nerve regeneration and recovery [40].…”

“…Scalability of 3D printing for clinical use, long-term effects of GQDs on nerve tissue, additional in vivo studies needed. [40] CNC-GQD hydrogel-injectable, shear-thinning, fluorescent, anisotropic nanofibrillar structure, used in 3D printing.…”

“…Biomedical, Cytotoxicity, and Medical Assessments: Biomedical evaluations focus on cytotoxicity, cytocompatibility, antibacterial testing, and in vivo assessments for inflammation and sensory functions [5,17,27,35,40].…”

“…Enhanced functionalization is achieved through materials like carbon quantum dots and black phosphorus quantum dots, aiming to improve aspects such as fluorescence, mechanical strength, and therapeutic effects, which are crucial in medical and biomedical applications like drug delivery, tissue engineering, biosensing, and cancer therapy [31,32,[34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]. Optoelectronic applications are prevalent too, with the development of photoluminescent and fluorescent hydrogels for uses in imaging, sensing, and diagnostics [39,[42][43][44][45][46].…”