Micropatterned Poly(D,L-Lactide-Co-Caprolactone) Conduits With KHI-Peptide and NGF Promote Peripheral Nerve Repair After Severe Traction Injury

Xing Yu; Deteng Zhang; Chang Liu; Zhaodi Liu; Yujun Li; Qunzi Zhao; Changyou Gao; Yong Wang

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2021.744230

Micropatterned Poly(D,L-Lactide-Co-Caprolactone) Conduits With KHI-Peptide and NGF Promote Peripheral Nerve Repair After Severe Traction Injury

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2021 Dec 9:9:744230. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.744230. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Xing Yu¹, Deteng Zhang², Chang Liu³, Zhaodi Liu³, Yujun Li³, Qunzi Zhao¹, Changyou Gao², Yong Wang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Thyroid Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
² MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
³ College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.

Abstract

Severe traction injuries after stretch to peripheral nerves are common and challenging to repair. The nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) are promising in the regeneration and functional recovery after nerve injuries. To enhance the repair of severe nerve traction injuries, in this study KHIFSDDSSE (KHI) peptides were grafted on a porous and micropatterned poly(D,L-lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLCL) film (MPLCL), which was further loaded with a nerve growth factor (NGF). The adhesion number of Schwann cells (SCs), ratio of length/width (L/W), and percentage of elongated SCs were significantly higher in the MPLCL-peptide group and MPLCL-peptide-NGF group compared with those in the PLCL group in vitro. The electromyography (EMG) and morphological changes of the nerve after severe traction injury were improved significantly in the MPLCL-peptide group and MPLCL-peptide-NGF group compared with those in the PLCL group in vivo. Hence, the NGCs featured with both bioactive factors (KHI peptides and NGF) and physical topography (parallelly linear micropatterns) have synergistic effect on nerve reinnervation after severe traction injuries.

Keywords: KHIFSDDSSE peptide; biodegradable polyester; nerve growth factor; nerve guidance conduit; severe traction injury.