Harnessing neurovascular interaction to guide axon growth

Scientific Reports, 2019 · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38558-y · Published: February 15, 2019

Simple Explanation

This study investigates how to use blood vessels to guide the growth of nerve fibers (axons) in the injured spinal cord. The idea is that by controlling the alignment of tiny blood vessels (microvessels), researchers can encourage axons to grow in a specific direction, which could help with spinal cord regeneration. Researchers created a scaffold containing aligned microvessels and transplanted it into rats with spinal cord injuries. They found that axons from the rats' own bodies grew along the aligned microvessels, showing that this technique can indeed guide axon growth in the injured spinal cord. The study also identified a key protein called cd44 that helps control the alignment of blood vessels. When this protein was disrupted, the blood vessels didn't align properly, and the axons didn't grow in the desired direction.

Study Duration

3 weeks

Participants

4 female adult Sprague-Dawley rats (225–250 g)

Evidence Level

In vitro and in vivo study in a rat spinal cord injury model

Key Findings

1
Aligned microvessels can effectively guide axon growth from neural progenitor cells in vitro.
2
In vivo transplantation of scaffolds with aligned microvessels into a rat spinal cord injury model resulted in host axons aligning with the transplanted microvessels.
3
Disrupting cd44, a mechanosensor, impaired flow-mediated microvessel alignment and consequently disrupted axon guidance.

Research Summary

This study demonstrates that aligned microvessels can guide axon growth both in vitro and in vivo, offering a potential strategy for promoting central nervous system regeneration after injury. The researchers found that interstitial fluid flow can be used to align microvessels within transplantable scaffolds, and these vessels can then dictate axon orientation. Blocking flow-mediated vascular alignment through the cd44 receptor verified that the direction of axon growth is determined by the orientation of the vessels and not a flow-mediated effect.

Practical Implications

Regenerative Medicine

The findings suggest a new approach to promote axon regeneration in spinal cord injuries by using aligned microvessels to guide axon growth.

Drug Delivery

The engineered microvessels with BSCB-integrity could be used as a platform for targeted drug delivery to the CNS.

Biomaterial Design

The study highlights the importance of considering neurovascular interactions when designing biomaterials for CNS repair.

Study Limitations

1
The study was conducted in a rat model, and further research is needed to determine the efficacy of this approach in humans.
2
The long-term functional outcomes of the vascular-guided axon growth were not evaluated.
3
The precise mechanisms underlying the neurovascular interaction and axon guidance need further investigation.

Your Feedback

Was this summary helpful?

Back to Spinal Cord Injury