Laminin‑chitosan‑PLGA conduit co‑transplanted with Schwann and neural stem cells to repair the injured recurrent laryngeal nerve

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to assess the possibility and efficacy of utilizing a laminin-chitosan-poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid), otherwise known as laminin-chitosan-PLGA, nerve conduit with the co-transplantation of Schwann and neural stem cells to repair peripheral nerve defects. Previous in vitro experiments have demonstrated that the three-dimensional structure of the built in fiber filament electrospinning of laminin-chitosan-PLGA nerve conduit is beneficial to the migration and regeneration of nerve cells, and has notable mechanical strength and plasticity. It is able to provide support in the neural tissue regeneration process, and has the ability to degrade itself once peripheral nerves complete their regeneration, providing more advantages than other biological and synthetic materials. In the present study, 132 female Sprague Dawley rats were used to establish an animal model of laryngeal nerve injury, and the rats were randomly divided into six groups for experimentation. The nerve conduit was prepared and co-cultured with Schwann and neural stem cells, and micro-surgical techniques were used to repair the 5-mm-long recurrent laryngeal nerve injuries. Functional and histological assessments were performed at 8 and 12 weeks post-surgery, respectively. The results revealed that the laminin-chitosan-PLGA nerve conduit combined with Schwann and neural stem cells was able to promote nerve regeneration (P<0.05), and its effect was superior to those of the autograft (P<0.05). The results of the present study suggest that this is the ideal method for repairing peripheral nerve defects, and cells in the graft may promote nerve regeneration.

Proteins and Peptides as Important Modifiers of the Polymer Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications—A Review

“…Moreover, in vivo experiments revealed that PCL/laminin scaffold supported nerve regeneration (studies on Sprague Dawley rats). Li et al [259] demonstrated that laminin/chitosan/PLGA nerve conduit combined with Schwann cells and neural stem cells promoted nerve regeneration in vivo (studies on Sprague Dawley rats). Interestingly, Salehi et al [219] fabricated biodegradable nerve conduit consisting of PLA, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and gelatin nanofibrils (GNFs) combined with the recombinant human erythropoietin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (rhEpo-CNPs).…”

The advances in nerve tissue engineering: From fabrication of nerve conduit toin vivonerve regeneration assays

“…Scientists have demonstrated that implantation of a poly( l ‐lactic acid) conduit accompanied by neural stem cells and interleukin‐12 in a 3‐mm mouse sciatic nerve gap leads to an increase in the diameter of regenerated nerve fibers and functional nerve recovery (Lee et al, ). It has also been shown that the laminin–chitosan–PLGA nerve conduit combined with cotransplantation of neural stem cells and SCs can contribute to the rat recurrent laryngeal nerve regeneration (Li, Yu, Men, Chen, & Wang, ).…”

“…Various anesthetic drugs with different doses are used for anesthetizing the rats. The drugs and doses that are often used for this purpose include ketamine (60 mg/kg) and xylazine (6 mg/kg; Hansen et al, ), ketamine hydrochloride (1.15 μl/g) and xylazine hydrochloride (0.5 μl/g; Hong et al, ), intraperitoneal injection of 10% choral hydrate (400 mg/kg; Li et al, ), intraperitoneal injection of 10% chloral hydrate (300 ml/100 g bwt; Zhuang et al, ), ketamine hydrochloride (1.15 μl/g) and xylazine hydrochloride (0.5μl/g; Hong et al, ), 45 mg/kg pentobarbital sodium (Wang, Yang, Wu, Zhang, & Wang, ), inhalation of isoflurane/air mixture (5% and 3%; Kriebel et al, ), ketamine (50−100 mg/kg bwt, ip) and xylazine (5 mg/kg bwt, ip; Das et al, ), ketamine (100 mg/kg), and xylazine (10 mg/kg; Delaviz et al, ). In addition, initial anesthesia can be induced by isoflurane 3.5% (for induction) at a flow rate of 800 ml/min, and anesthesia can be maintained by isoflurane 2.5% (for maintenance) during the procedure (Teuschl et al, ).…”

“…Microsurgical scissors (Li et al, ) or scalpel (Kuyucu, Gumus, Erbas, Oltulu, & Bora, ) can be used to create a nerve gap. The conduit implantation should be done in sterile conditions and under the operating microscope (Mottaghitalab et al, ).…”

Recurrent laryngeal nerve regeneration using a self‐assembling peptide hydrogel

“…3 RLNs invaded by tumors require excision; therefore, RLN defects occur in such patients. Although various methods to regenerate defected RLNs have been reported, [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] no consistently effective treatments are currently available because they lead to insufficient functional recovery and misdirected innervation. 12 At present, preventing laryngeal muscle atrophy by maintaining nerve continuity is the only feasible treatment method for injured RLNs.…”