The Physicochemical Properties of Decellularized Extracellular Matrix-Coated 3D Printed Poly(ε-caprolactone) Nerve Conduits for Promoting Schwann Cells Proliferation and Differentiation

Abstract

Although autologous nerve grafting remains the gold standard treatment for peripheral nerve injuries, alternative methods such as development of nerve guidance conduits have since emerged and evolved to counter the many disadvantages of nerve grafting. However, the efficacy and viability of current nerve conduits remain unclear in clinical trials. Here, we focused on a novel decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) and polydopamine (PDA)-coated 3D-printed poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-based conduits, whereby the PDA surface modification acts as an attachment platform for further dECM attachment. We demonstrated that dECM/PDA-coated PCL conduits possessed higher mechanical properties when compared to human or animal nerves. Such modifications were proved to affect cell behaviors. Cellular behaviors and neuronal differentiation of Schwann cells were assessed to determine for the efficacies of the conduits. There were some cell-specific neuronal markers, such as Nestin, neuron-specific class III beta-tubulin (TUJ-1), and microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Nestin expressions were found to be 0.65-fold up-regulated, while TUJ1 expressions were 2.3-fold up-regulated and MAP2 expressions were 2.5-fold up-regulated when compared to Ctl. The methodology of PDA coating employed in this study can be used as a simple model to immobilize dECM onto PCL conduits, and the results showed that dECM/PDA-coated PCL conduits can as a practical and clinically viable tool for promoting regenerative outcomes in larger peripheral nerve defects.

Applications of Polydopamine-Modified Scaffolds in the Peripheral Nerve Tissue Engineering

“…Novel decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) and PDA-coated 3D printed PCL-based conduits were created for nerve regeneration. The presence of PDA significantly improved the hydrophilicity and mechanical properties of conduits, as well as cellular behaviors and neuronal differentiation of Schwann cells (Chen C. et al, 2018). Similarly, the PDA coating significantly improved the hydrophilicity and cytocompatibility of fabricated carbon scaffolds.…”

Improved Bioactivity of 3D Printed Porous Titanium Alloy Scaffold with Chitosan/Magnesium-Calcium Silicate Composite for Orthopaedic Applications

“…Putting it simply, Col I and FN are adsorbed onto the surface of materials and thus basically act as a biological platform for further cellular attachment. As such, it has been reported that different quantities of ECM protein present on surfaces heavily determines the levels of cellular adhesion, which in turn influences cellular behavior [45]. Our study showed that hybrid CS–CH coated Ti–6Al–4V scaffolds can be used as a potential surface modification technique and that they have the ability to enhance the expression of Col I and FN proteins due to improved initial cell adhesion with the surface of the Ti–6Al–4V scaffolds.…”

A scaffold‐free Bio 3D nerve conduit for repair of a 10‐mm peripheral nerve defect in the rats

“…However, these outcomes are not satisfactory and various improvements to these methods have been investigated (Eren, Öksüz, Küçükodaci, et al, 2016). Many studies have reported that tubular materials in which a cellular component is combined with a neurotropic factor and extracellular matrix (ECM) increases the regenerative potential (Chen, Yu, Ng, et al, 2018;Ren, Faust, Van Der Merwe, et al, 2018). In these reports, biodegradable synthetic tubular materials, including poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (Nune, Subramanian, Krishnan, Kaimal, & Sethuraman, 2017) or chitosan tubes (Meyer, Wrobel, Raimondo, et al, 2016) have been used.…”