Takashima Kenta, Hoshino Masato, Uesugi Kentaro, Yagi Naoto, Matsuda Shojiro, Nakahira Atsushi, Osumi Noriko, Kohzuki Masahiro, Onodera Hiroshi
Department of Internal Medicine and Rehabilitation Science, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, SPring-8, Hyogo, Japan.
J Synchrotron Radiat. 2015 Jan;22(1):136-42. doi: 10.1107/S160057751402270X. Epub 2015 Jan 1.
Tissue engineering strategies for spinal cord repair are a primary focus of translational medicine after spinal cord injury (SCI). Many tissue engineering strategies employ three-dimensional scaffolds, which are made of biodegradable materials and have microstructure incorporated with viable cells and bioactive molecules to promote new tissue generation and functional recovery after SCI. It is therefore important to develop an imaging system that visualizes both the microstructure of three-dimensional scaffolds and their degradation process after SCI. Here, X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography imaging based on the Talbot grating interferometer is described and it is shown how it can visualize the polyglycolic acid scaffold, including its microfibres, after implantation into the injured spinal cord. Furthermore, X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography images revealed that degradation occurred from the end to the centre of the braided scaffold in the 28 days after implantation into the injured spinal cord. The present report provides the first demonstration of an imaging technique that visualizes both the microstructure and degradation of biodegradable scaffolds in SCI research. X-ray phase-contrast imaging based on the Talbot grating interferometer is a versatile technique that can be used for a broad range of preclinical applications in tissue engineering strategies.
脊髓损伤（SCI）后，脊髓修复的组织工程策略是转化医学的主要研究重点。许多组织工程策略采用三维支架，其由可生物降解材料制成，并具有与活细胞和生物活性分子相结合的微观结构，以促进SCI后新组织的生成和功能恢复。因此，开发一种能够可视化三维支架的微观结构及其在SCI后的降解过程的成像系统非常重要。在此，描述了基于Talbot光栅干涉仪的X射线相衬计算机断层扫描成像，并展示了其如何在植入受损脊髓后可视化聚乙醇酸支架，包括其微纤维。此外，X射线相衬计算机断层扫描图像显示，在植入受损脊髓后的28天内，编织支架从末端到中心发生了降解。本报告首次展示了一种成像技术，该技术可在SCI研究中可视化可生物降解支架的微观结构和降解情况。基于Talbot光栅干涉仪的X射线相衬成像技术是一种通用技术，可用于组织工程策略中的广泛临床前应用。
