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Electric Conductivity on Aligned Nanofibers Facilitates the Transdifferentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Schwann Cells and Regeneration of Injured Peripheral Nerve
Author(s) -
Hu Xiaofang,
Wang Xianghai,
Xu Yizhou,
Li Lixia,
Liu Jingmin,
He Yutong,
Zou Ying,
Yu Lei,
Qiu Xiaozhong,
Guo Jiasong
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced healthcare materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.288
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 2192-2659
pISSN - 2192-2640
DOI - 10.1002/adhm.201901570
Subject(s) - nanofiber , materials science , electrospinning , regeneration (biology) , mesenchymal stem cell , polycaprolactone , peripheral nerve injury , tissue engineering , biocompatibility , nanotechnology , biomedical engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , composite material , medicine , polymer , metallurgy
Schwann cells (SCs) are the most promising seed cells for peripheral nerve tissue engineering, but clinical applications are limited by the lack of cell sources. Existing data demonstrate that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can be induced to differentiate into Schwann‐like cells and aligned nanofibers can enhance the differentiation. Considering that SCs are living along with the electrical conductive axons, it is hypothesized that conductivity properties may play roles in SCs differentiation and then facilitate nerve regeneration. To verify this hypothesis, amine functionalized multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are incorporated with polycaprolactone and gelatin to fabricate aligned or random conductive nanofibers by electrospinning. Current data demonstrate that MWCNTs can dramatically increase the electrical conductive properties but do not alter the biocompatibility of the nanofibers. It is found that endowing conductive properties into the aligned nanofibers can significantly enhance their capability to promote the SCs differentiation. Furthermore, the aligned and conductive nanofibers with induced BMSCs can dramatically promote peripheral axonal regeneration. Collectively, the present study demonstrates that the conductive properties in the aligned nanofiber plays significant roles in SCs differentiation and the aligned and conductive nanofibers can be used as a promising scaffold for SCs differentiation and peripheral nerve tissue engineering.