Abstract
We report a novel implantable device that will deliver a tethered aligned collagen guidance conduit containing Schwann cells into a peripheral nerve injury site. Cells (Schwann cells and fibroblasts) incorporated into tethered rectangular collagen gels contracted and resulted in uniaxial alignment. This tissue-engineered construct was tested in three-dimensional culture and demonstrated the ability to guide neurite extension from dissociated dorsal root ganglia. A silicone tube was adapted to provide tethering sites for an implantable construct such that uniaxial cell-generated tension resulted in the formation of a bridge of aligned collagen fibrils, with a resident Schwann cell population. The potential of this device for surgical nerve regeneration was assessed in a 5-mm defect in a rat sciatic nerve model. Neural regeneration through this device was significantly greater than in controls, demonstrating that this system has potential both as a simple robust clinical implant and as a three-dimensional engineered tissue model.
Publication types
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Comparative Study
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Biocompatible Materials / chemistry*
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Cell Culture Techniques
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Cells, Cultured
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Collagen / physiology*
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Female
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Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate
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Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect
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Fluorescent Dyes
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Ganglia, Spinal / cytology
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Ganglia, Spinal / physiology
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Gels
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Immunohistochemistry
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Male
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Microscopy, Fluorescence
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Nerve Regeneration / physiology*
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Nerve Tissue / cytology
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Nerve Tissue / physiology
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Nerve Tissue / transplantation
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Neurites / physiology
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Peroneal Nerve / cytology
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Random Allocation
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Rats
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Rats, Inbred F344
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Rats, Sprague-Dawley
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Rhodamines
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S100 Proteins / metabolism
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Schwann Cells / cytology*
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Schwann Cells / physiology*
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Schwann Cells / transplantation
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Sciatic Nerve / cytology
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Silicones / chemistry
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Tibial Nerve / cytology
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Time Factors
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Tissue Engineering / methods*
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Transplantation, Homologous
Substances
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Biocompatible Materials
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Fluorescent Dyes
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Gels
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Rhodamines
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S100 Proteins
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Silicones
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tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate
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Collagen
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Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate