Electroactive chitosan-aniline pentamer hydrogel for peripheral nerve regeneration

Electroactive hydrogels could guide the regeneration of nerves and promote their functional recovery. An aniline pentamer-crosslinked chitosan (CS-AP) hydrogel with better electroactivity and degradation was fabricated by the carbodiimide method, and then injected into the repair site of sciatic nerve damage, with its gelation time, tensile strength, and conductivity reaching 35 min, 5.02-6.69 MPa, and from 2.97 x 10(-4) to 3.25 x 10(-4) S center dot cm(-1), respectively, due to the cross-linkage and well-distribution of AP. There was better cytocompativility of CS-AP hydrogel on nerve cells. The results of the in vivo repair indicated that CS-AP10 hydrogel induced the capillaries formation and the repair of sciatic nerve defect, and re-innervated gastrocnemius muscle in the CS-AP10 group were obviously better than other experimental groups, due to the electroactivity of CS-AP and its degradation into fragments. These results indicated the potential application of CS-AP hydrogel in the regeneration and function recovery of peripheral nerve injury.

Automated summary

Electroactive hydrogels have been found to guide nerve regeneration and promote functional recovery. An aniline pentamer-crosslinked chitosan (CS-AP) hydrogel, with better electroactivity and degradation, was created using the carbodiimide method and injected into the site of sciatic nerve damage. The CS-AP10 hydrogel showed improved capillary formation and repair of the sciatic nerve defect, resulting in better re-innervation of the gastrocnemius muscle. These findings suggest the potential application of CS-AP hydrogel in the regeneration and functional recovery of peripheral nerve injuries.