Engineering Fiber-Based Nervous Tissue Constructs for Axon Regeneration
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-1-2021
Abstract
Biomaterial-based scaffolds used in nerve conduits including channels for confining regenerating axons and 3-dimensional (3D) gels as substrates for growth have made improvements in models of nerve repair. Many biomaterial strategies, however, continue to fall short of autologous nerve grafts, which remain the current gold standard in repairing severe nerve lesions (20 mm). Intraluminal nerve conduit fibers have also shown considerable promise in directing regenerating axons in vitro and in vivo and have gained increasing interest for nerve repair. It is unknown, however, how growing axons respond to a fiber when encountered in a 3D environment. In this study, we considered a construct consisting of a compliant collagen hydrogel matrix and a fiber component to assess contact-guided axon growth. We investigated preferential axon outgrowth on synthetic and natural polymer fibers by utilizing small-diameter microfibers of poly-L-lactic acid and type I collagen representing 2 different fiber stiffnesses. We found that axons growing freely in a 3D hydrogel culture preferentially attach, turn and follow fibers with outgrowth rates and distances that far exceed outgrowth in a hydrogel alone. Wet-spun type I collagen from rat tail tendon performed the best, associated with highly aligned and accelerated outgrowth. This study also evaluated the response of dorsal root ganglion neurons from adult rats to provide data more relevant to axon regenerative potential in nerve repair. We found that ECM treatments on fibers enhanced the regeneration of adult axons indicating that both the physical and biochemical presentation of the fibers are essential for enhancing axon guidance and growth.
Identifier
85110096999 (Scopus)
Publication Title
Cells Tissues Organs
External Full Text Location
https://doi.org/10.1159/000515549
e-ISSN
14226421
ISSN
14226405
PubMed ID
34198287
First Page
105
Last Page
117
Issue
2
Volume
210
Grant
CBET-0747615
Fund Ref
National Science Foundation
Recommended Citation
Siriwardane, Mevan L.; Derosa, Kathleen; Collins, George; and Pfister, Bryan J., "Engineering Fiber-Based Nervous Tissue Constructs for Axon Regeneration" (2021). Faculty Publications. 3978.
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/fac_pubs/3978