Biotechnology and Biosciences Department, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan 20126, Italy.
ACS Nano. 2011 Jan 25;5(1):227-36. doi: 10.1021/nn102461w. Epub 2010 Dec 28.
The destruction and hollowing of entire tissue segments represent an insurmountable barrier to axonal regeneration and therapeutics in chronic spinal cord injury. To circumvent this problem, we engineered neural prosthetics, by assembling electrospun nanofibers and self-assembling peptides into composite guidance channels and transplanted them into the cysts of a postcontusive, chronic spinal cord injury rat model, also providing delivery of proregenerative cytokines. Six months later conspicuous cord reconstruction was observed. The cyst was replaced by newly formed tissue comprising neural and stromal cells. Nerve fibers were interspersed between and inside the guidance channels, spanning the lesion, amidst a well-developed vascular network, basal lamina, and myelin. This was accompanied by a significant improvement in the activity of ascending and descending motor pathways and the global locomotion score. Thus by engineering nanostructured matrices into neuroprosthetics, it is possible to recreate an anatomical, structural, and histological framework, which leads to the replacement of large, hollow tissue gaps in the chronically injured spinal cord, fostering axonal regeneration and neurological recovery.
整个组织段的破坏和空洞化代表了轴突再生和慢性脊髓损伤治疗的不可逾越的障碍。为了克服这个问题，我们通过将静电纺纳米纤维和自组装肽组装成复合导向通道，并将其移植到挫伤后慢性脊髓损伤大鼠模型的囊中，同时提供促再生细胞因子的递送，从而设计了神经假体。 6 个月后，观察到明显的脊髓重建。囊肿被由神经和基质细胞组成的新组织取代。神经纤维散布在导向通道之间和内部，跨越损伤部位，同时形成了发达的血管网络、基底膜和髓鞘。这伴随着上行和下行运动通路活动以及整体运动评分的显著改善。因此，通过将纳米结构基质工程设计到神经假体中，有可能重建一个解剖学、结构和组织学框架，从而在慢性损伤的脊髓中替代大的、中空的组织间隙，促进轴突再生和神经恢复。
