Center for Bio-Integrated Electronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Department of Materials Science Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Nat Med. 2018 Dec;24(12):1830-1836. doi: 10.1038/s41591-018-0196-2. Epub 2018 Oct 8.
Peripheral nerve injuries represent a significant problem in public health, constituting 2-5% of all trauma cases. For severe nerve injuries, even advanced forms of clinical intervention often lead to incomplete and unsatisfactory motor and/or sensory function. Numerous studies report the potential of pharmacological approaches (for example, growth factors, immunosuppressants) to accelerate and enhance nerve regeneration in rodent models. Unfortunately, few have had a positive impact in clinical practice. Direct intraoperative electrical stimulation of injured nerve tissue proximal to the site of repair has been demonstrated to enhance and accelerate functional recovery, suggesting a novel nonpharmacological, bioelectric form of therapy that could complement existing surgical approaches. A significant limitation of this technique is that existing protocols are constrained to intraoperative use and limited therapeutic benefits. Herein we introduce (i) a platform for wireless, programmable electrical peripheral nerve stimulation, built with a collection of circuit elements and substrates that are entirely bioresorbable and biocompatible, and (ii) the first reported demonstration of enhanced neuroregeneration and functional recovery in rodent models as a result of multiple episodes of electrical stimulation of injured nervous tissue.
周围神经损伤是公共健康的一个重大问题，占所有创伤病例的 2-5%。对于严重的神经损伤，即使是先进的临床干预措施，也常常导致运动和/或感觉功能不完全和不满意。许多研究报告了药理学方法（例如生长因子、免疫抑制剂）在促进和增强啮齿动物模型中的神经再生方面的潜力。不幸的是，在临床实践中，很少有方法产生积极影响。在修复部位近端损伤的神经组织进行直接术中电刺激已被证明可以增强和加速功能恢复，这表明了一种新的非药物、生物电形式的治疗方法，可以补充现有的手术方法。该技术的一个显著局限性是，现有的方案仅限于术中使用，治疗效果有限。在此，我们介绍了一种（i）用于无线、可编程的周围神经电刺激的平台，该平台由一组完全可生物吸收和生物相容的电路元件和基底组成，以及（ii）首次报道了由于多次损伤神经组织的电刺激，导致啮齿动物模型中的神经再生和功能恢复增强。
