Sciatic nerve regeneration in rats by a promising electrospun collagen/poly(ε-caprolactone) nerve conduit with tailored degradation rate

Abstract

BackgroundTo cope with the limitations faced by autograft acquisitions particularly for multiple nerve injuries, artificial nerve conduit has been introduced by researchers as a substitute for autologous nerve graft for the easy specification and availability for mass production. In order to best mimic the structures and components of autologous nerve, great efforts have been made to improve the designation of nerve conduits either from materials or fabrication techniques. Electrospinning is an easy and versatile technique that has recently been used to fabricate fibrous tissue-engineered scaffolds which have great similarity to the extracellular matrix on fiber structure.ResultsIn this study we fabricated a collagen/poly(ε-caprolactone) (collagen/PCL) fibrous scaffold by electrospinning and explored its application as nerve guide substrate or conduit in vitro and in vivo. Material characterizations showed this electrospun composite material which was made of submicron fibers possessed good hydrophilicity and flexibility. In vitro study indicated electrospun collagen/PCL fibrous meshes promoted Schwann cell adhesion, elongation and proliferation. In vivo test showed electrospun collagen/PCL porous nerve conduits successfully supported nerve regeneration through an 8 mm sciatic nerve gap in adult rats, achieving similar electrophysiological and muscle reinnervation results as autografts. Although regenerated nerve fibers were still in a pre-mature stage 4 months postoperatively, the implanted collagen/PCL nerve conduits facilitated more axons regenerating through the conduit lumen and gradually degraded which well matched the nerve regeneration rate.ConclusionsAll the results demonstrated this collagen/PCL nerve conduit with tailored degradation rate fabricated by electrospinning could be an efficient alternative to autograft for peripheral nerve regeneration research. Due to its advantage of high surface area for cell attachment, it is believed that this electrospun nerve conduit could find more application in cell therapy for nerve regeneration in future, to further improve functional regeneration outcome especially for longer nerve defect restoration.

Sciatic nerve repair using poly(ε‐caprolactone) tubular prosthesis associated with nanoparticles of carbon and graphene

“…The process of hydrolysis, however, if too fast, may generate oxidative stress and a local decrease in pH (de Ruiter et al, 2009). Based on the fact that muscle mass was preserved in all tubulized groups, no harmful effect of the prosthesis degradation should have affected the newly formed nerve (Dow et al, 2004;Yu et al, 2011).…”

“…Furthermore, it provides an excellent substrate for guided cell migration and axonal growth, being an efficient alternative to peripheral nerve autografting (Bockelmann et al, 2011;Pierucci et al, 2008;Sun & Downes, 2009;Sun et al, 2010;Yu et al, 2011). Nanometric supports have also been implemented to promote growth and development of neurons and non-neural cells (Mattson, Haddon, & Rao, 2000).…”

Gelatin-methacrylamide gel loaded with microspheres to deliver GDNF in bilayer collagen conduit promoting sciatic nerve growth

“…9,10 Many studies indicate that the scaffold can promote nerve regeneration individually. [11][12][13] However, if combined with growth factors or seed cells, nerve regeneration will get better outcome. 8,14 It is an important yet-to-be-solved problem about how to combine scaffold with growth factors or seed cells to establish an optimal microenvironment efficiently and effectively.…”

Recent Strategies in Tissue Engineering for Guided Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

“…Some examples include collagen and crosslinked laminin scaffolds, [ 43 ] collagen-PCL electrospun scaffolds, [ 44 ] and chitosan and PLA scaffolds. [ 45 ] The interface between the internal and external environments also very infl uences regeneration and the integration of a material.…”