title: Artificial collagen-filament scaffold promotes axon regeneration and long tract reconstruction in a rat model of spinal cord transection.
abstract: Traumatically injured spinal cord (SC) displays structural damage that includes discontinuity of long tracts and cavitations. Axonal regrowth beyond the lesion is necessary to achieve functional recovery following SC injury. We report here the development of an artificial collagen-filament (CF) scaffold to replace the SC in 8-week-old female Fisher rats. Axonal sprouting and regrowth was very rapid following grafting of the CF. One week after implantation, the scaffold was filled with cells of host origin and with regenerated axons. Histological examination of SC adjacent to the scaffold showed little cavity formation or fibrous scarring. Eight weeks after implantation, myelinated nerve fibers were found in the scaffold and 10-25 % of rubrospinal tracts were repaired. Four to six weeks after transplantation, motor evoked potentials were recorded in CF-grafted rats but were not detectable in non-grafted rats. Electrophysiological and histological examinations revealed the grafted CF was likely to function as a nerve tract. In addition, these results suggest that collagen fibers may provide a permissive microenvironment for the elongation of SC axons and to support the process of spinal cord regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi University, 1-1-1 Minami-kogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-8505, Japan. hsuzuki@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi University, 1-1-1 Minami-kogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsukasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanchiku
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi University, 1-1-1 Minami-kogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Imajo
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi University, 1-1-1 Minami-kogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi University, 1-1-1 Minami-kogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Pathology, Fujisawa City Hospital, Fujisawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshikazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gondo
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Osaka Red Cross Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshii
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi University, 1-1-1 Minami-kogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D003094:Collagen / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor; D005260:Female; D023421:Models, Animal; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D058630:Spinal Cord Regeneration; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen
keywords: Axonal regeneration; Collagen filament; Long tract; Motor evoked potential; Spinal cord injury