Open AccessElectrodeposition of chitosan/graphene oxide conduit to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration
Author(s) -
Yanan Zhao,
Ping Wu,
Ziyuan Zhao,
Fei-Xiang Chen,
Ao Xiao,
Zhi-Yi Yue,
Xinwei Han,
Yong Zheng,
Yun Chen
Publication year - 2023
Publication title -
neural regeneration research/neural regeneration research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.93
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1876-7958
pISSN - 1673-5374
DOI - 10.4103/1673-5374.344836
Subject(s) - nerve guidance conduit , sciatic nerve , regeneration (biology) , schwann cell , chitosan , nerve growth factor , peripheral nerve injury , epineurial repair , peripheral nerve , biocompatibility , medicine , biomedical engineering , materials science , anatomy , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , biology , biochemistry , receptor , metallurgy
Currently available commercial nerve guidance conduits have been applied in the repair of peripheral nerve defects. However, a conduit exhibiting good biocompatibility remains to be developed. In this work, a series of chitosan/graphene oxide (GO) films with concentrations of GO varying from 0-1 wt% (collectively referred to as CHGF-n) were prepared by an electrodeposition technique. The effects of CHGF-n on proliferation and adhesion abilities of Schwann cells were evaluated. The results showed that Schwann cells exhibited elongated spindle shapes and upregulated expression of nerve regeneration-related factors such as Krox20 (a key myelination factor), Zeb2 (essential for Schwann cell differentiation, myelination, and nerve repair), and transforming growth factor β (a cytokine with regenerative functions). In addition, a nerve guidance conduit with a GO content of 0.25% (CHGFC-0.25) was implanted to repair a 10-mm sciatic nerve defect in rats. The results indicated improvements in sciatic functional index, electrophysiology, and sciatic nerve and gastrocnemius muscle histology compared with the CHGFC-0 group, and similar outcomes to the autograft group. In conclusion, we provide a candidate method for the repair of peripheral nerve defects using free-standing chitosan/GO nerve conduits produced by electrodeposition.