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Novel spiral structured nerve guidance conduits with multichannels and inner longitudinally aligned nanofibers for peripheral nerve regeneration
Author(s) -
Shah Munish B.,
Chang Wei,
Zhou Gan,
Glavy Joseph S.,
Cattabiani Thomas M.,
Yu Xiaojun
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part b: applied biomaterials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1552-4981
pISSN - 1552-4973
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.b.34233
Subject(s) - materials science , regeneration (biology) , nerve guidance conduit , sciatic nerve , peripheral nerve injury , peripheral nerve , biomedical engineering , spiral (railway) , gastrocnemius muscle , anatomy , medicine , biology , mathematical analysis , mathematics , microbiology and biotechnology , skeletal muscle
Nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) are artificial substitutes for autografts, which serve as the gold standard in treating peripheral nerve injury. A recurring challenge in tissue engineered NGCs is optimizing the cross‐sectional surface area to achieve a balance between allowing nerve infiltration while supporting maximum axonal extension from the proximal to distal stump. In this study, we address this issue by investigating the efficacy of an NGC with a higher cross‐sectional surface composed of spiral structures and multi‐channels, coupled with inner longitudinally aligned nanofibers and protein on aiding nerve repair in critical sized nerve defect. The NGCs were implanted into 15‐mm‐long rat sciatic nerve injury gaps for 4 weeks. Nerve regeneration was assessed using an established set of assays, including the walking track analysis, electrophysiological testing, pinch reflex assessment, gastrocnemius muscle measurement, and histological assessment. The results indicated that the novel NGC design yielded promising data in encouraging nerve regeneration within a relatively short recovery time. The performance of the novel NGC for nerve regeneration was superior to that of the control nerve conduits with tubular structures. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 107B: 1410–1419, 2019.