Journal
BIOMATERIALS
Volume 177, Issue -, Pages 176-185Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.05.049
Keywords
Schwann cells; Injectable peripheral nerve; Decellularization; Spinal cord injury; Transplantation; Axon growth
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [NIH NS 09923]
- Miami Project to Cure Paralysis (MPCP) at the University of Miami, The Buoniconti Fund
- Craig Neilsen Foundation [222456]
- Conquer Paralysis Now
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Schwann cell (SC) transplantation has been comprehensively studied as a strategy for spinal cord injury (SCI) repair. SCs are neuroprotective and promote axon regeneration and myelination. Nonetheless, substantial SC death occurs post-implantation, which limits therapeutic efficacy. The use of extracellular matrix (ECM)-derived matrices, such as Matrigel, supports transplanted SC survival and axon growth, resulting in improved motor function. Because appropriate matrices are needed for clinical translation, we test here the use of an acellular injectable peripheral nerve (iPN) matrix. Implantation of SCs in iPN into a contusion lesion did not alter immune cell infiltration compared to injury only controls. iPN implants were larger and contained twice as many SC-myelinated axons as Matrigel grafts. SC/iPN animals performed as well as the SC/Matrigel group in the BBB locomotor test, and made fewer errors on the grid walk at 4 weeks, equalizing at 8 weeks. The fact that this clinically relevant iPN matrix is immunologically tolerated and supports SC survival and axon growth within the graft offers a highly translational possibility for improving efficacy of SC treatment after SCI. To our knowledge, it is the first time that an injectable PN matrix is being evaluated to improve the efficacy of SC transplantation in SCI repair. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available