Division of Biomedical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon S7N 5A9, Canada.
Biofabrication. 2010 Dec;2(4):045002. doi: 10.1088/1758-5082/2/4/045002. Epub 2010 Oct 22.
Axon guidance is a crucial consideration in the design of tissue scaffolds used to promote nerve regeneration. Here we investigate the combined use of laminin (a putative axon adhesion and guidance molecule) and chitosan (a leading candidate base material for the construction of scaffolds) for promoting axon guidance in cultured adult dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Using a dispensing-based rapid prototyping (DBRP) technique, two-dimensional grid patterns were created by dispensing chitosan or laminin-blended chitosan substrate strands oriented in orthogonal directions. In vitro experiments illustrated DRG neurites on these patterns preferentially grew upon and followed the laminin-blended chitosan pathways. These results suggest that an orientation of neurite growth can be achieved in an artificially patterned substrate by creating selectively biofunctional pathways. The DBRP technique may provide improved strategies for the use of biofunctional pathways in the design of three-dimensional scaffolds for guidance of nerve repair.
轴突导向是用于促进神经再生的组织支架设计中需要重点考虑的因素。在这里，我们研究了层粘连蛋白（一种假定的轴突黏附和导向分子）和壳聚糖（支架构建的主要候选基础材料）联合用于促进培养的成年背根神经节（DRG）神经元中的轴突导向。使用基于分配的快速原型制作（DBRP）技术，通过分配壳聚糖或层粘连蛋白混合壳聚糖基质丝来创建二维网格图案，这些基质丝沿正交方向定向。体外实验表明，DRG 神经元轴突优先在层粘连蛋白混合壳聚糖途径上生长并沿着该途径生长。这些结果表明，通过创建选择性的生物功能途径，可以在人为图案化的基质中实现神经元生长的取向。DBRP 技术可能为在三维支架设计中使用生物功能途径来指导神经修复提供改进的策略。
