Pre-clinical evaluation of advanced nerve guide conduits using a novel 3D in vitro testing model
Journal Title: International Journal of Bioprinting - Year 2018, Vol 4, Issue 1
Abstract
Autografts are the current gold standard for large peripheral nerve defects in clinics despite the frequently occurring side effects like donor site morbidity. Hollow nerve guidance conduits (NGC) are proposed alternatives to autografts, but failed to bridge gaps exceeding 3 cm in humans. Internal NGC guidance cues like microfibres are believed to enhance hollow NGCs by giving additional physical support for directed regeneration of Schwann cells and axons. In this study, we report a new 3D in vitro model that allows the evaluation of different intraluminal fibre scaffolds inside a complete NGC. The performance of electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) microfibres inside 5 mm long polyethylene glycol (PEG) conduits were investigated in neuronal cell and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cultures in vitro. Z-stack confocal microscopy revealed the aligned orientation of neuronal cells along the fibres throughout the whole NGC length and depth. The number of living cells in the centre of the scaffold was not significantly different to the tissue culture plastic (TCP) control. For ex vivo analysis, DRGs were placed on top of fibre-filled NGCs to simulate the proximal nerve stump. In 21 days of culture, Schwann cells and axons infiltrated the conduits along the microfibres with 2.2 ± 0.37 mm and 2.1 ± 0.33 mm, respectively. We conclude that this in vitro model can help define internal NGC scaffolds in the future by comparing different fibre materials, composites and dimensions in one setup prior to animal testing.
Authors and Affiliations
Mehri Behbehani, Adam Glen, Caroline S. Taylor, Alexander Schuhmacher, Frederik Claeyssens, John W. Haycock
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP678679
- DOI -
- Views 166
- Downloads 0
3D bioprinting technology for regenerative medicine application
Alternative strategies that overcome existing organ transplantation methods are of increasing importance because of ongoing demands and lack of adequate organ donors. Recent improvements in tissue engineering techniques...
A novel 3D printing method for cell alignment and differentiation
The application of bioprinting allows precision deposition of biological materials for bioengineering applications. Here we propose a 2 stage methodology for bioprinting using a back pressure-driven, automated robotic di...
Post-printing surface modification and functionalization of 3D-printed biomedical device
3D printing is a technology well-suited for biomedical applications due to its ability to create highly complex and arbitrary structures from personalized designs with a fast turnaround. However, due to a limited selecti...
Self-rated health and interviewer-rated health: differentials in predictive power for mortality among subgroups of Chinese elders
Interviewer-rated health (IRH) and self-rated health (SRH) have strong and independent predictive power for mortality, but their relative predictive power has not been examined among subpopulations. Because individuals f...
Electrohydrodynamic printing process monitoring by microscopic image identification
Electrohydrodynamic printing (EHDP) is able to precisely manipulate the position, size, and morphology of micro-/nano-fibers and fabricate high-resolution scaffolds using viscous biopolymer solutions. However, less atten...