Directional Submicroﬁber Hydrogel Composite Scaffolds Supporting Neuron Differentiation and Enabling Neurite Alignment

Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2022 · DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911525 · Published: September 29, 2022

Simple Explanation

This study introduces a new type of scaffold made from gelatin and fibers that can be tuned to be the right stiffness to support cell attachment, differentiation, and alignment of neurons derived from human progenitor cells. The hydrogels were made with different levels of stiffness, and then fibers were added on top in a way that they were mostly aligned. The scaffolds that were about 20 kPa in stiffness worked best for cell attachment and growth. When neurons were grown on these scaffolds, they lined up and formed bundles along the aligned fibers. This scaffold is robust, inexpensive, and could be used in neural tissue engineering where directional neuron alignment is needed, like in the spinal cord.

Study Duration

28 days

Participants

ReN VM cells, a human neural progenitor cell line

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
Fiber–hydrogel composites with a modulus of about 20 kPa showed the strongest cell attachment and highest cell proliferation, rendering them an ideal differentiation support.
2
Differentiated neurons aligned and bundled their neurites along the aligned PCL ﬁlaments, which is unique to this cell type on a ﬁber–hydrogel composite.
3
More than 50% of the cells were positioned within an angle of deviation of <10% with regard to the main axis of the ﬁber scaffold.

Research Summary

This work introduces a cost-efﬁcient gelatin-based submicron patterned hydrogel–ﬁber composite with tuned stiffness, able to support cell attachment, differentiation and alignment of neurons derived from human progenitor cells. The ﬁber–hydrogel composites with a modulus of about 20 kPa showed the strongest cell attachment and highest cell proliferation, rendering them an ideal differentiation support. This novel scaffold relies on robust and inexpensive technology and is suitable for neural tissue engineering where directional neuron alignment is required, such as in the spinal cord.

Practical Implications

Spinal Cord Regeneration

The composite material can be developed as an implantable scaffold to support the regeneration of spinal cord in patients after traumatic injury.

In Vitro Neuronal Models

Scaffolds featuring directionality and alignment cues may also be implemented as in vitro neuronal models and serve the investigation of therapies’ efﬁcacy promoting neural regeneration.

Drug Screening

The aligned neuronal networks can be used for studying the effects of drugs and other therapies on nerve regeneration.

Study Limitations

1
The study focuses on a specific human neural progenitor cell line (ReN VM cells), and results might vary with other cell types.
2
The long-term effects of the scaffold on cell behavior and tissue regeneration are not fully explored.
3
The study does not include in vivo experiments to validate the scaffold's performance in a living organism.

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