Enhanced peripheral nerve regeneration through a poled bioresorbable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) guidance channel

Abstract

In this study we investigated the effects of materials prepared with electrical poling on neurite outgrowth in vitro and nerve regeneration in vivo. Neuro-2a cells were seeded on poled and unpoled poly(lactic-co-glycolic) (PLGA) films and observed at time periods 24, 48 and 72 h post-seeding. The percentage of cells with neurites and the neurites per cell were quantified using light microscopy. At 48 and 72 h post-seeding, both the number of cells with neurites and the neurites per cell were significantly increased on the poled films compared to those on unpoled films. An established rat sciatic nerve model was used for in vivo studies to assess the effects of PLGA guides, poled for two different periods, on peripheral nerve regeneration. Guides were inserted in rats to bridge a 1.0 cm gap created in the right sciatic nerve. After four weeks, nerves regenerated through poled guides displayed a significant increase in conduction velocity and significantly increased numbers of axons across the guides, as compared to nerves regenerating through an unpoled guidance channel. Electrical poling was shown to promote neurite growth, axon regeneration and the conduction rate of the repaired nerve. We concluded that guides prepared with electrical poling enhance peripheral nerve regeneration.

Development of a scaffoldless three-dimensional engineered nerve using a nerve-fibroblast co-culture

“…Current research in tissue engineering has focused on improving nerve guidance channels to enhance nerve regeneration (Hudson et al 2000; Wang et al 2009). Current projects have focused on five main conduit adaptations: (1) porous channel walls (Huang et al 2006), (2) neurotrophic factor release (Piotrowicz and Shoichet 2006), (3) incorporation of Schwann cells (Galla et al 2004), (4) aligned intraluminal matrix (Lu et al 2009), and (5) electrical properties (Bryan et al 2004). All of these methods are still faced with the drawbacks of using scaffolds for tissue engineering as mentioned above.…”

The Multiple Silicone Tube Device, “Tubes within a Tube,” for Multiplication in Nerve Reconstruction

“…Tube repair of nerves is not a new idea [for review see [20–24]] and already in the early 20th century bone was used to bridge nerve defects. Later, blood vessels were used, followed by preformed mesothelial chambers, silicone tubes, and a variety of biodegradable tubes or “tubes” made of rolls of placental membranes and teased tendons.…”

Bioactive Nanomaterials for Neural Engineering

“…Poly ( D , L -lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) (PDLLA/CL) nerve guidance (NGCs) fabricated with polypyrrole enhanced neurite outgrowth compared to PDLLA/CL conduits alone ). In another study, high-voltage electrical stimulation of PLGA fi lms signifi cantly increased number of total neurites and myelinated axons (Bryan et al 2004 ). Polypyrrole and polyaniline both have excellent conductive and antioxidant properties in terms of cellular stimulation; however, their nonbiodegradable structure limits their usage in nerve regeneration studies (Gu et al 2014 ).…”