Nanochemistry and Nanoengineering, Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, Kemistintie 1, 00076, Aalto, Finland.
Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University, No.1, Sec. 1, Jen-Ai Rd., Taipei, 100, Taiwan.
Carbohydr Polym. 2019 Nov 15;224:115112. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115112. Epub 2019 Aug 1.
To address the need to biodegradable, electroactive conduits accelerating nerve regeneration, here we develop a nanocomposite hydrogel made of alginate reinforced by citric acid functionalized graphite nanofilaments. The green, simple functionalization enhances the nanofillers distribution and their biocompatibility, as verified using mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. The uniformly distributed nanofilaments raise mechanical stability of the nanocomposite hydrogel versus the neat one up to three times. Also, the nanofilaments enable electrical contact and intercellular signaling thereby stimulating their biological activity. In vitro studies proved the biocompatibility of the nanocomposite hydrogel whereon PC12 cells proliferate and spread evidently. In vivo tests also supported applicability of the nanocomposite hydrogel for implantation within body, and the samples showed no adverse reaction and no inflammatory responses after 14 days. Conclusively, the results certify that the developed electroactive nanocomposite hydrogel is able to stimulate nerve generation and could be confidently used as a nerve conduit material.
为了满足生物可降解、电活性导管加速神经再生的需求，我们在这里开发了一种由海藻酸钠增强的纳米复合水凝胶，由柠檬酸功能化的石墨纳米纤维增强。绿色、简单的功能化增强了纳米填料的分布和生物相容性，这在体外的间充质干细胞中得到了验证。均匀分布的纳米纤维将纳米复合水凝胶的机械稳定性相对于纯海藻酸钠提高了三倍。此外，纳米纤维还能实现电接触和细胞间信号传递，从而刺激它们的生物活性。体外研究证明了纳米复合水凝胶的生物相容性，PC12 细胞在其上明显增殖和扩散。体内试验也支持纳米复合水凝胶在体内植入的适用性，在 14 天后，样品没有不良反应，也没有炎症反应。总之，结果证明，所开发的电活性纳米复合水凝胶能够刺激神经生成，并可以放心用作神经导管材料。
