Electrospun silk fibroin‐based neural scaffold for bridging a long sciatic nerve gap in dogs

Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative MedicineVolume 12, Issue 2 p. e1143-e1153 RESEARCH ARTICLE Electrospun silk fibroin-based neural scaffold for bridging a long sciatic nerve gap in dogs Chengbin Xue, Chengbin Xue State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing Biomedical Research Institute, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaChengbin Xue and Hui Zhu contributed equally to this work.Search for more papers by this authorHui Zhu, Hui Zhu State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing Biomedical Research Institute, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR China Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaChengbin Xue and Hui Zhu contributed equally to this work.Search for more papers by this authorDehua Tan, Dehua Tan Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorHechun Ren, Hechun Ren Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorXiaokun Gu, Xiaokun Gu orcid.org/0000-0002-2562-6275 Department of Hand Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorYahong Zhao, Yahong Zhao Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorPing Zhang, Ping Zhang Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorZhichao Sun, Zhichao Sun Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorYumin Yang, Yumin Yang Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorJianhui Gu, Jianhui Gu Department of Hand Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorYun Gu, Corresponding Author Yun Gu guyun@ntu.edu.cn Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR China Correspondence Yun Gu and Xiaosong Gu, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, JS 226001, PR China Email: nervegu@ntu.edu.cn; guyun@ntu.edu.cnSearch for more papers by this authorXiaosong Gu, Corresponding Author Xiaosong Gu nervegu@ntu.edu.cn State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing Biomedical Research Institute, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR China Correspondence Yun Gu and Xiaosong Gu, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, JS 226001, PR China Email: nervegu@ntu.edu.cn; guyun@ntu.edu.cnSearch for more papers by this author Chengbin Xue, Chengbin Xue State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing Biomedical Research Institute, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaChengbin Xue and Hui Zhu contributed equally to this work.Search for more papers by this authorHui Zhu, Hui Zhu State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing Biomedical Research Institute, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR China Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaChengbin Xue and Hui Zhu contributed equally to this work.Search for more papers by this authorDehua Tan, Dehua Tan Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorHechun Ren, Hechun Ren Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorXiaokun Gu, Xiaokun Gu orcid.org/0000-0002-2562-6275 Department of Hand Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorYahong Zhao, Yahong Zhao Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorPing Zhang, Ping Zhang Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorZhichao Sun, Zhichao Sun Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorYumin Yang, Yumin Yang Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorJianhui Gu, Jianhui Gu Department of Hand Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorYun Gu, Corresponding Author Yun Gu guyun@ntu.edu.cn Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR China Correspondence Yun Gu and Xiaosong Gu, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, JS 226001, PR China Email: nervegu@ntu.edu.cn; guyun@ntu.edu.cnSearch for more papers by this authorXiaosong Gu, Corresponding Author Xiaosong Gu nervegu@ntu.edu.cn State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing Biomedical Research Institute, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, JS, PR China Correspondence Yun Gu and Xiaosong Gu, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, JS 226001, PR China Email: nervegu@ntu.edu.cn; guyun@ntu.edu.cnSearch for more papers by this author First published: 09 May 2017 https://doi.org/10.1002/term.2449Citations: 40 Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract Silk fibroin (SF)-derived silkworms represent a type of highly biocompatible biomaterial for tissue engineering. We have previously investigated biocompatibility of SF with neural cells isolated from the central nervous system or peripheral nerve system in vitro, and also developed a SF-based nerve graft conduit or tissue-engineered nerve grafts by introducing bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, as support cells, into SF-based scaffold and evaluated the outcomes of peripheral nerve repair in a rat model. As an extension of the previous study, the electrospun technique was performed here to fabricate SF-based neural scaffold inserted with silk fibres for bridging a 30-mm-long sciatic nerve gap in dogs. Assessments including functional, histological and morphometrical analyses were applied 12 months after surgery. All the results indicated that the SF-based neural scaffold group achieved satisfactory regenerative outcomes, which were close to those achieved by autologous nerve grafts as the golden-standard for peripheral nerve repair. Overall, our results raise a potential possibility for the translation of SF-based electrospun neural scaffolds as an alternative to nerve autografts into the clinic. Citing Literature Volume12, Issue2February 2018Pages e1143-e1153 RelatedInformation