NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH, 2021 · DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.310696 · Published: November 1, 2021
This study explores a novel approach to spinal cord injury (SCI) repair using a tissue-engineered scaffold. The scaffold, made from decellularized porcine optic nerve (DON), is designed to mimic the natural environment of nerve tissue. The DON scaffold is seeded with Schwann cells that overproduce neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), a growth factor known to support nerve cell survival and regeneration. This combination aims to promote directional axon growth and remyelination in the injured spinal cord. Results showed that the DON scaffold, when transplanted into rats with SCI, facilitated the directional growth of regenerating axons, improved myelin sheath recovery, and reduced inflammation. These findings suggest that DON scaffolds may be a promising tool for SCI repair.
DON scaffolds loaded with SCNTs could be further explored as a novel tissue-engineering strategy for the repair of white matter SCI.
The study highlights the importance of physical channels and microstructure in scaffolds to facilitate neural cell growth and function.
The research emphasizes the importance of the source of the scaffold material and the microenvironment created by the ECM in maintaining the viability of seeded cells for axonal regeneration and myelination.