Chitosan Micro-Grooved Membranes with Increased Asymmetry for the Improvement of the Schwann Cell Response in Nerve Regeneration

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Giovanna Gambarotta¹  Luca Scaccini²  Roberta Mezzena²  Marco Cecchini²  Alessia De Masi²  Mariacristina Gagliardi²  Ilaria Tonazzini² 

[1] Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences (DSCB), University of Torino, Orbassano, 10043 Turin, Italy;National Enterprise for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (NEST), Istituto Nanoscienze Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) and Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy;

关键词: contact guidance;    Schwann cells;    nerve regeneration;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms22157901

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Peripheral nerve injuries are a common condition in which a nerve is damaged, affecting more than one million people every year. There are still no efficient therapeutic treatments for these injuries. Artificial scaffolds can offer new opportunities for nerve regeneration applications; in this framework, chitosan is emerging as a promising biomaterial. Here, we set up a simple and effective method for the production of micro-structured chitosan films by solvent casting, with high fidelity in the micro-pattern reproducibility. Three types of chitosan directional micro-grooved patterns, presenting different levels of symmetricity, were developed for application in nerve regenerative medicine: gratings (GR), isosceles triangles (ISO) and scalene triangles (SCA). The directional patterns were tested with a Schwann cell line. The most asymmetric topography (SCA), although it polarized the cell shaping less efficiently, promoted higher cell proliferation and a faster cell migration, both individually and collectively, with a higher directional persistence of motion. Overall, the use of micro-structured asymmetrical directional topographies may be exploited to enhance the nerve regeneration process mediated by chitosan scaffolds.

【 授权许可】

Unknown