Microenvironment-responsive immunoregulatory electrospun ﬁbers for promoting nerve function recovery

Nature Communications, 2020 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18265-3 · Published: September 9, 2020

Spinal Cord Injury Immunology Biomedical

Simple Explanation

This research introduces a new approach to treating acute spinal cord injuries by creating a scaffold that responds to the injury's acidic environment. This scaffold releases medication to reduce inflammation and encourage nerve regeneration. The scaffold is made of electrospun fibers loaded with an IL-4 plasmid and nerve growth factor (NGF). The IL-4 plasmid aims to suppress inflammation, while NGF promotes neural differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. By regulating the immune response and promoting nerve regeneration simultaneously, this strategy offers a potential solution to the challenges of treating acute spinal cord injuries.

Study Duration

8 Weeks

Participants

330 female Sprague Dawley rats

Evidence Level

Level 2: Animal study, in vitro and in vivo experiments

Key Findings

1
The microenvironment-responsive immunoregulatory electrospun fibers were able to shift immune cell subtypes to down-regulate the acute inflammation response.
2
The fibers reduced scar tissue formation and promoted angiogenesis and neural differentiation at the injury site.
3
The immunological fiber scaffolds enhanced functional recovery in vivo in acute spinal cord injury rats.

Research Summary

This study presents a pH-responsive immunomodulatory strategy for neural regeneration using electrospun fibers that release IL-4 plasmids to suppress inflammation and promote neural differentiation. The microenvironment-responsive fibers were implanted into acute spinal cord injury rats, showing significant improvement in immune response, reduced scarring, and enhanced angiogenesis and neural differentiation. The results indicate that this delivery system can overcome the contradiction between immune response and nerve regeneration, offering a promising alternative for treating acute spinal cord injuries.

Practical Implications

Therapeutic Strategy

The microenvironment-responsive immunoregulatory electrospun fibers can be utilized as a therapeutic strategy for acute spinal cord injury.

Drug Delivery System

The designed scaffold can be used as a delivery system for sustained and triggered release of therapeutic agents.

Immunomodulation

The immunomodulatory effect of the scaffold can be applied in other inflammation-related diseases.

Study Limitations

1
The study was conducted on rats, and results may not directly translate to humans.
2
Long-term effects of the implanted scaffold were not fully investigated.
3
The precise mechanisms of immune modulation by the scaffold require further elucidation.

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