Electrospun decellularized extracellular matrix scaﬀolds promote the regeneration of injured neurons

Biomaterials and Biosystems, 2023 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbiosy.2023.100081 · Published: January 1, 2023

Simple Explanation

Traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) disrupt neurons, create lesion cavities, and alter the surrounding environment with excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, leading to scar formation that inhibits regeneration. This study explores using electrospun fiber scaffolds to mimic the ECM and support neural cell alignment and migration to improve spinal cord regeneration. The researchers successfully decellularized spinal cord ECM (dECM), preserving key components like glycosaminoglycans and collagens while removing cell nuclei and DNA. They then used this dECM to create highly aligned and randomly distributed fiber scaffolds using 3D printer-assisted electrospinning. These dECM scaffolds supported the viability and differentiation of human neural cells into neurons, guiding them to align with the scaffold's orientation. When a lesion was created in the cell-scaffold model, the aligned dECM scaffolds promoted the fastest and most efficient lesion closure, indicating their superior cell-guiding abilities compared to reference scaffolds.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Human neural cell line (SH-SY5Y)

Evidence Level

In vitro study

Key Findings

1
Decellularized spinal cord ECM (dECM) can be processed into electrospun fiber scaffolds while maintaining essential ECM components and removing cellular material.
2
Aligned dECM fiber scaffolds promote faster and more efficient closure of lesions in neural cell cultures compared to randomly oriented dECM or PCL scaffolds, indicating superior cell guiding capabilities.
3
The aligned dECM induces the expression of PTK2 (focal adhesion kinase; FAK).

Research Summary

This study investigates the potential of electrospun decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) scaffolds to promote the regeneration of injured neurons in a spinal cord injury (SCI) model. The researchers successfully created aligned and randomly distributed dECM fiber scaffolds from porcine spinal cord, demonstrating their cytocompatibility and ability to support neural cell viability and differentiation. The key finding is that aligned dECM fiber scaffolds significantly enhance neuronal migration and lesion closure in vitro compared to randomly oriented dECM or PCL scaffolds. This suggests that the combination of biochemical and topographical cues provided by aligned dECM promotes superior cell guiding capabilities. The study concludes that dECM-based scaffolds offer a promising strategy for creating clinically relevant central nervous system scaffolding solutions for SCI treatment, by optimizing biochemical and topographical cues to improve neuronal re-connectivity and restore damaged functions.

Practical Implications

Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

dECM scaffolds offer a potential cell-free approach for bridging the lesion site and guiding neural cells in SCI.

Bioengineered Scaffolds

The electrospinning technique for creating aligned dECM scaffolds can be used to produce tissue-specific matrices for regenerative medicine.

Cell Migration and Wound Healing

The combination of biochemical and topographical cues can be optimized to enhance neuronal migration and wound healing in various neurological applications.

Study Limitations

1
In vitro study: Results may not directly translate to in vivo conditions.
2
Cell line model: SH-SY5Y cells may not fully represent the complexity of primary neurons.
3
Porcine dECM: Potential differences between porcine and human ECM need consideration.

Your Feedback

Was this summary helpful?

Back to Neurology