Partially oxidized polyvinyl alcohol conduitfor peripheral nerve regeneration

Abstract

Surgical reconstruction of peripheral nerves injuries with wide substance-loss is still a challenge. Many studies focused on the development of artificial nerve conduits made of synthetic or biological materials but the ideal device has not yet been identified. Here, we manufactured a conduit for peripheral nerve regeneration using a novel biodegradable hydrogel we patented that is oxidized polyvinyl alcohol (OxPVA). Thus, its characteristics were compared with neat polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and silk-fibroin (SF) conduits, through in vitro and in vivo analysis. Unlike SF, OxPVA and neat PVA scaffolds did not support SH-SY5Y adhesion and proliferation in vitro. After implantation in rat model of sciatic nerve transection, the three conduits sustained the regeneration of the injured nerve filling a gap of 5 mm in 12 weeks. Implanted animals showed a good gait recovery. Morphometric data related to the central portion of the explanted conduit interestingly highlighted a significantly better outcome for OxPVA scaffolds compared to PVA conduits in terms of axon density, also with respect to the autograft group. This study suggests the potential of our novel biomaterial for the development of conduits for clinical use in case of peripheral nerve lesions with substance loss.

Halogen-Mediated Partial Oxidation of Polyvinyl Alcohol for Tissue Engineering Purposes

“…Decellularized, homogenized and lyophilized sheets from articular cartilage, Wharton's Jelly and small intestine were cross-linked to PVA, obtaining bio-hybrid supports that sustained cell adhesion and proliferation [25][26][27]. In parallel, we proposed for the first time a standardized method to perform chemical oxidation of PVA by KMnO 4 in acid environment, in order to obtain scaffolds with improved swelling kinetics and protein adsorption/release ability with respect to neat PVA, as well as with tunable biodegradation properties which increase along with the degree of oxidation [19,22,23].…”

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

“…SF is a natural protein that is produced by Bombyx mori (silkworm; Xue et al, ). It is biocompatible and biodegradable (Stocco et al, ; Xue et al, ) and easily degraded by proteolytic enzymes. The SF conduit is a relatively new alternative to tissue engineering applications.…”

“…Although it has been approved by the FDA , SF is still being researched for its clinic applications (Cao & Wang, ). In 2017, some studies have shown that a silk conduit applied to repair a gap of 5 mm (Stocco et al, ) and a larger gap of 30 mm (Xue et al, ) would improve sciatic nerve regeneration (Stocco et al, ; Xue et al, ). Wang et al, in 2018, also showed that a silk conduit by improving angiogenesis would promote the sciaticnerve regeneration across a 10‐mm‐long gap in rats (Wang & Sakiyama‐Elbert, ).…”

“…The sciatic nerve is exposed at the midthigh level and transected to create a 2.5‐cm gap and 10‐mm incision for sciatic nerve crush (Stocco et al, 2018; Ma et al, ). Next, the structure of the thigh muscle under the skin is carefully exposed (Stocco et al, ).…”

Electrospun electroactive nanofibers of gelatin‐oligoaniline/Poly (vinyl alcohol) templates for architecting of cardiac tissue with on‐demand drug release

“…Oxidized PVA (OxPVA) along with axon regeneration exhibited the proper elasticity and manipulation. OxPVA promoted the myelination and axon density . In comparison with other biomaterials, PVA shows an excellent effects in biomedical application like to ECM.…”