Differentiation of Bone Marrow Stem Cells into Schwann Cells for the Promotion of Neurite Outgrowth on Electrospun Fibers.
Seeding nerve guidance conduits with Schwann cells can improve the outcome of peripheral nerve injury repair. Bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) represent a good choice of cell source as they can differentiate into Schwann cells under appropriate conditions. In this work, we systematically investigated the differentiation of BMSCs into Schwann cells on scaffolds comprising electrospun fibers. We changed the alignment, diameter, and surface properties of the fibers to optimize the differentiation efficiency. The uniaxial alignment of fibers not only promoted the differentiation of BMSCs into Schwann cells but also dictated the morphology and alignment of the derived cells. Coating the surface of aligned fibers with laminin further enhanced the differentiation and thus increased the secretion of neurotrophins. When co-cultured with PC12 cells or chick dorsal root ganglion, the as-derived Schwann cells were able to promote the outgrowth of neurites from cell bodies and direct their extension along the fibers, demonstrating the positive impacts of both the neurotrophic effect and the morphological contact guidance. This work offers a promising strategy for integrating fiber guidance with stem cell therapy to augment peripheral nerve injury repair.
The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
Jiajia
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7209-7935
J
Xue
The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
Junyu
J
Yang
Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University , Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States.
Deirdre M
DM
O'Connor
The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
Chunlei
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2477-306X
C
Zhu
The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
Da
D
Huo
Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University , Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States.
Nicholas M
NM
Boulis
The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.|School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
Younan
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2431-7048
Y
Xia
D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016501:Neurites; D000071446:Neuronal Outgrowth; D051381:Rats; D012583:Schwann Cells; D023822:Tissue Engineering
Schwann cells; bone marrow stem cells; differentiation; electrospun fibers; neural tissue engineering