title: Chitosan/silk fibroin-based, Schwann cell-derived extracellular matrix-modified scaffolds for bridging rat sciatic nerve gaps.
abstract: Extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a prominent role in establishing and maintaining an ideal microenvironment for tissue regeneration, and ECM scaffolds are used as a feasible alternative to cellular and molecular therapy in the fields of tissue engineering. Because of their advantages over tissue-derived ECM scaffolds, cultured cell-derived ECM scaffolds are beginning to attract attention, but they have been scarcely studied for peripheral nerve repair. Here we aimed to develop a tissue engineered nerve scaffold by reconstituting nerve cell-derived ECM with natural biomaterials. A protocol was adopted to prepare and characterize the cultured Schwann cell (SC)-derived ECM. A chitosan conduit and silk fibroin (SF) fibers were prepared, cultured with SCs for ECM deposition, and subjected to decellularization, followed by assembly into a chitosan/SF-based, SC-derived ECM-modified scaffold, which was used to bridge a 10 mm rat sciatic nerve gap. The results from morphological analysis as well as electrophysiological examination indicated that regenerative outcomes achieved by our developed scaffold were similar to those by an acellular nerve graft (namely a nerve tissue-derived ECM scaffold), but superior to those by a plain chitosan/SF scaffold. Moreover, blood and histopathological parameters confirmed the safety of scaffold modification by SC-derived ECM. Therefore, a hybrid scaffold based on joint use of acellular and classical biomaterials represents a promising approach to nerve tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, JS 226001, PR China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, JS 226001, PR China.
authors.forename: Jianbin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, JS 226001, PR China.
authors.forename: Chengbin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, JS 226001, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhenmeiyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, JS 226001, PR China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, JS 226001, PR China. Electronic address: Yangym@ntu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yumin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, JS 226001, PR China. Electronic address: nervegu@ntu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaosong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000737:chemistry*; D005349:Fibroins / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D047011:Silk / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D047011:Silk; D005349:Fibroins; D048271:Chitosan
keywords: Chitosan; Extracellular matrix (ECM); Peripheral nerve repair; Scaffold; Schwann cells (SCs); Silk fibroin