Axonal Guidance Using Biofunctionalized Straining Flow Spinning Regenerated Silk Fibroin Fibers as Scaffold

Biomimetics, 2023 · DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8010065 · Published: February 4, 2023

Simple Explanation

This research explores using silk fibers as a scaffold to help nerve cells reconnect after a spinal cord injury. The limited regenerative capacity of the central nervous system makes the reconnection and functional recovery of the affected nervous tissue almost impossible. The study modifies these silk fibers with special molecules (adhesion peptides) to guide nerve cell growth. It is shown that the axons of the neurons not only tend to follow the path marked by the ﬁbers, in contrast to the isotropic growth observed on conventional culture plates, but also that this guidance can be further modulated through the biofunctionalization of the material with adhesion peptides. The goal is to create a potential treatment where these fibers act as a bridge, reconnecting damaged parts of the spinal cord. Establishing the guidance ability of these ﬁbers opens the possibility of their use as implants for spinal cord injuries, so that they may represent the core of a therapy that would allow the reconnection of the injured ends of the spinal cord.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from CD1 mouse bone marrow, human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y), and cortical neurons from 15-day-old CD1 mouse embryos (E15)

Evidence Level

In vitro study

Key Findings

1
Silk fibers produced via straining flow spinning (SFS) can effectively guide axonal growth in vitro. Here we show that high-performance ﬁbroin ﬁbers spun with the straining ﬂow spinning (SFS) process can not only be used to direct axonal growth in vitro [19,20], but also that this guiding ability is further modulated through their functionalization with adhesion peptides.
2
Biofunctionalization of the fibers with peptides like RGD and IKVAV enhances cell adhesion and, in some cases, axonal guidance. Adhesion studies (Figure 5) conﬁrmed that the adhesion of MSCs on biofunctionalized ﬁbers was improved compared to nonfunctionalized ﬁbers.
3
Cortical neurons show a more significant response to biofunctionalized fibers compared to the SH-SY5Y cell line. In particular, at 7d a signiﬁcant difference is observed in the ﬁbers functionalized with RGD with respect to the control ﬁbers and IKVAV-functionalized.

Research Summary

This study investigates the use of biofunctionalized silk fibroin fibers, produced via straining flow spinning (SFS), as a scaffold for axonal guidance and regeneration following spinal cord injury. This study is intended to show that the usage of functionalized SFS ﬁbers allows an enhancement of the guidance ability of the material when compared with the control (nonfunctionalized) ﬁbers. The research demonstrates that these fibers can direct axonal growth in vitro and that this guidance can be further modulated through biofunctionalization with adhesion peptides such as RGD and IKVAV. It is shown that the axons of the neurons not only tend to follow the path marked by the ﬁbers, in contrast to the isotropic growth observed on conventional culture plates, but also that this guidance can be further modulated through the biofunctionalization of the material with adhesion peptides. The findings suggest that biofunctionalized SFS fibers have potential as implants for reconnecting damaged nerves after spinal cord injuries, offering a therapeutic approach for promoting tissue regeneration. Consequently, this work opens the possibility of using functionalized SFS ﬁbers as implants for spinal cord injuries in which the ﬁbers serve as a connection between the injured ends of the spinal cord.

Practical Implications

Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

The research suggests a potential therapeutic approach for spinal cord injuries by using biofunctionalized silk fibers as implants to reconnect damaged nerves.

Axonal Guidance Strategies

The study provides insights into using biomaterials and specific peptides to guide axonal growth, which can be applied in other nerve regeneration strategies.

Biomaterial Design

The findings contribute to the design and development of biomaterials with enhanced biocompatibility and bioactivity for tissue engineering applications.

Study Limitations

1
The study is limited to in vitro experiments, and further in vivo studies are needed to validate the findings.
2
The study focuses on specific peptides (RGD and IKVAV), and other bioactive molecules may have different effects.
3
The long-term effects and potential complications of using silk fibroin fibers as implants are not fully explored.

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