scholarly journals Graphene-Based Materials Prove to Be a Promising Candidate for Nerve Regeneration Following Peripheral Nerve Injury

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Mina Aleemardani ◽  
Pariya Zare ◽  
Amelia Seifalian ◽  
Zohreh Bagher ◽  
Alexander M. Seifalian

Peripheral nerve injury is a common medical condition that has a great impact on patient quality of life. Currently, surgical management is considered to be a gold standard first-line treatment; however, is often not successful and requires further surgical procedures. Commercially available FDA- and CE- approved decellularized nerve conduits offer considerable benefits to patients suffering from a completely transected nerve but they fail to support neural regeneration in gaps >30 mm. To address this unmet clinical need, current research is focused on biomaterial-based therapies to regenerate dysfunctional neural tissues, specifically damaged peripheral nerve, and spinal cord. Recently, attention has been paid to the capability of graphene-based materials (GBMs) to develop bifunctional scaffolds for promoting nerve regeneration, often via supporting enhanced neural differentiation. The unique features of GBMs have been applied to fabricate an electroactive conductive surface in order to direct stem cells and improve neural proliferation and differentiation. The use of GBMs for nerve tissue engineering (NTE) is considered an emerging technology bringing hope to peripheral nerve injury repair, with some products already in preclinical stages. This review assesses the last six years of research in the field of GBMs application in NTE, focusing on the fabrication and effects of GBMs for neurogenesis in various scaffold forms, including electrospun fibres, films, hydrogels, foams, 3D printing, and bioprinting.

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimon Rochkind ◽  
Zvi Nevo

Objective. Guiding Regeneration Gel (GRG) was developed in response to the clinical need of improving treatment for peripheral nerve injuries and helping patients regenerate massive regional losses in peripheral nerves. The efficacy of GRG based on tissue engineering technology for the treatment of complete peripheral nerve injury with significant loss defect was investigated.Background. Many severe peripheral nerve injuries can only be treated through surgical reconstructive procedures. Such procedures are challenging, since functional recovery is slow and can be unsatisfactory. One of the most promising solutions already in clinical practice is synthetic nerve conduits connecting the ends of damaged nerve supporting nerve regeneration. However, this solution still does not enable recovery of massive nerve loss defect.The proposed technologyis a biocompatible and biodegradable gel enhancing axonal growth and nerve regeneration. It is composed of a complex of substances comprising transparent, highly viscous gel resembling the extracellular matrix that is almost impermeable to liquids and gasses, flexible, elastic, malleable, and adaptable to various shapes and formats.Preclinical studyon rat model of peripheral nerve injury showed that GRG enhanced nerve regeneration when placed in nerve conduits, enabling recovery of massive nerve loss, previously unbridgeable, and enabled nerve regeneration at least as good as with autologous nerve graft “gold standard” treatment.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Songyang Liu ◽  
Yijun Liu ◽  
Liping Zhou ◽  
Ci Li ◽  
Meng Zhang ◽  
...  

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) remains an unresolved challenge in the medicine area. With the development of biomaterial science and tissue engineering, a variety of nerve conduits were widely applied in...


Author(s):  
Lisa Baker ◽  
Moses Tar ◽  
Guillermo Villegas ◽  
Rabab Charafeddine ◽  
Adam Kramer ◽  
...  

AbstractThe microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton plays a critical role in axon growth and guidance. Here, we identify the MT severing enzyme fidgetin-like 2 (FL2) as a negative regulator of axonal regeneration and a potential therapeutic target for promoting neural regeneration after injury. Genetic knockout of FL2 in cultured adult dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons resulted in longer axons and attenuated growth cone retraction in response to inhibitory molecules. Given the axonal growth-promoting effects of FL2 depletion in vitro, we tested whether the enzyme could be targeted to promote regeneration in a rodent model of peripheral nerve injury. In the model used in our experiments, the cavernous nerves (CN) are either crushed or transected, mimicking nerve injury caused by radical prostatectomy (RP). As with patients, CN injury results in erectile dysfunction, for which there are presently poor treatment options. At the time of injury, FL2-siRNA or control-siRNA was applied to the site using nanoparticles or chondroitin sulfate microgels as delivery agents. Treatment significantly enhanced functional nerve recovery, as determined by cavernosometry (measurements of corporal blood pressure in response to electrostimulation of the nerve). Remarkably, following complete bilateral nerve transection, visible and functional nerve regeneration was observed in 7 out of 8 animals treated with FL2-siRNA. In contrast, no control-siRNA treated animals showed regeneration. These observations suggest a novel therapeutic approach to treat peripheral nerve injury, particularly injuries resulting from surgical procedures such as RP, where treatments depleting FL2 could be applied locally at the time of injury.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shixian Dong ◽  
Sijia Feng ◽  
Yuzhou Chen ◽  
Mo Chen ◽  
Yimeng Yang ◽  
...  

Peripheral nerve injury gives rise to devastating conditions including neural dysfunction, unbearable pain and even paralysis. The therapeutic effect of current treatment for peripheral nerve injury is unsatisfactory, resulting in slow nerve regeneration and incomplete recovery of neural function. In this study, nerve suture combined with ADSCs injection was adopted in rat model of sciatic nerve injury. Under real-time visualization of the injected cells with the guidance of NIR-II fluorescence imaging in vivo, a spatio-temporal map displaying cell migration from the proximal injection site (0 day post-injection) of the nerve to the sutured site (7 days post-injection), and then to the distal section (14 days post-injection) was demonstrated. Furthermore, the results of electromyography and mechanical pain threshold indicated nerve regeneration and functional recovery after the combined therapy. Therefore, in the current study, the observed ADSCs migration in vivo, electrophysiological examination results and pathological changes all provided robust evidence for the efficacy of the applied treatment. Our approach of nerve suture combined with ADSCs injection in treating peripheral nerve injury under real-time NIR-II imaging monitoring in vivo added novel insights into the treatment for peripheral nerve injury, thus further enhancing in-depth understanding of peripheral nerve regeneration and the mechanism behind.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 530-536
Author(s):  
Dong-Xu Huang ◽  
Jiang-Nan Li ◽  
Ge-Yi Zhang ◽  
Wen-Gang Wang ◽  
Lei Xia ◽  
...  

Peripheral nerves have complex and precise structures that differ from other types of tissues and intrinsic regeneration abilities after injury. Spontaneous recovery is possible for neuropraxia and axonotmesis, while surgical treatment is required for neurotmesis. It remains a challenge to repair nerve gaps, a series of severe neurotmesis. It seems that 3 cm is the upper limit distance for primate peripheral nerves to regenerate spontaneously. Nerve autografts are the gold standard treatment for bridging nerve gaps. In the present review, current biomaterials for repairing gaps after peripheral nerve injury are briefly summarized. Moreover, the microstructure of the peripheral nerve, classifications of peripheral nerve injury, and the Wallerian degeneration are reviewed in the biological view and clinical practice. The failure of nerve regeneration in nerve conduits bridging longer than 3 cm gaps may be contributing to the insufficient vascularization of nerve conduit materials. Future researchers could focus on advanced biomaterials that promoting the angiogenesis of nerve conduits.


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