An injectable, self‑healing, electroconductive hydrogel loaded with neural stem cells and donepezil for enhancing local therapy effect of spinal cord injury

Journal of Biological Engineering, 2023 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13036-023-00368-2 · Published: July 10, 2023

Simple Explanation

This study introduces a novel injectable hydrogel (NGP) that can conduct electricity and repair itself. It's designed to carry neural stem cells (NSCs) and donepezil (DPL) to help heal spinal cord injuries (SCI). The NGP hydrogel was found to have good characteristics like being biocompatible, having a suitable pore size for cell growth, and being able to slowly release DPL, making it a good carrier for cells and drugs. Experiments on rats with SCI showed that the NGP hydrogel, when loaded with NSCs and DPL, significantly improved motor function and nerve conduction, suggesting it's a promising treatment for SCI.

Study Duration

6 Weeks

Participants

Female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
The NGP hydrogel exhibits suitable pore size, good biocompatibility, excellent conductivity, and injectable and self-repairing properties.
2
NGP hydrogel loaded with NSCs and DPL significantly increased the myelin sheath area, number of new neurons and axon area while minimizing cystic cavity and glial scar areas.
3
The combination of NGP hydrogel, DPL, and NSCs had the best therapeutic effect on the recovery of motor function and nerve conduction function in rats.

Research Summary

This study developed an injectable electroactive hydrogel (NGP) based on sodium hyaluronate oxide (SAO) and polyaniline-grafted gelatine (NH2-Gel-PANI) to load neural stem cells (NSCs) and donepezil (DPL) for spinal cord injury (SCI) repair. The NGP hydrogel demonstrated good biocompatibility, self-repairing properties, electrical conductivity, and the ability to release DPL continuously. It also promoted neuronal differentiation and axon growth of NSCs in vitro. In a rat model of SCI, the NGP hydrogel loaded with DPL and NSCs showed significant therapeutic effects on motor function and nerve conduction recovery, suggesting its potential as a treatment for traumatic spinal cord injury.

Practical Implications

SCI Treatment

The DPL- and NSC-laden electroactive hydrogel developed in this study is an ideal biomaterial for the treatment of traumatic spinal cord injury.

Drug Delivery

NGP hydrogels can be used for long-term local release and persistence of therapeutic drugs at the site of spinal cord injury.

Stem Cell Therapy Enhancement

Combining biomaterials with stem cells has been identified as an emerging and intriguing strategy for promoting SCI repair.

Study Limitations

1
Exogenous NSC transplantation has a limited effect on motor function recovery in animals with spinal cord injury due to the low survival rate of NSCs.
2
Many drugs fail to achieve the desired therapeutic effect because they cannot cross the blood‒spinal barrier.
3
Polyaniline has certain cytotoxicity and can cause mild inflammatory reactions.

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