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Biodegradable Cell-Seeded Nanofiber Scaffolds for Neural Repair Han, Dong; Cheung, Karen C.

Abstract

Central and peripheral neural injuries are traumatic and can lead to loss of motor and sensory function, chronic pain, and permanent disability. Strategies that bridge the site of injury and allow axonal regeneration promise to have a large impact on restoring quality of life for these patients. Engineered materials can be used to guide axonal growth. Specifically, nanofiber structures can mimic the natural extracellular matrix, and aligned nanofibers have been shown to direct neurite outgrowth and support axon regeneration. In addition, cell-seeded scaffolds can assist in the remyelination of the regenerating axons. The electrospinning process allows control over fiber diameter, alignment, porosity, and morphology. Biodegradable polymers have been electrospun and their use in tissue engineering has been demonstrated. This paper discusses aspects of electrospun biodegradable nanofibers for neural regeneration, how fiber alignment affects cell alignment, and how cell-seeded scaffolds can increase the effectiveness of such implants.

Item Metadata

Title
Biodegradable Cell-Seeded Nanofiber Scaffolds for Neural Repair
Creator
Han, Dong; Cheung, Karen C.
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Date Issued
2011-10-10
Description
Central and peripheral neural injuries are traumatic and can lead to loss of motor and sensory function, chronic pain, and permanent disability. Strategies that bridge the site of injury and allow axonal regeneration promise to have a large impact on restoring quality of life for these patients. Engineered materials can be used to guide axonal growth. Specifically, nanofiber structures can mimic the natural extracellular matrix, and aligned nanofibers have been shown to direct neurite outgrowth and support axon regeneration. In addition, cell-seeded scaffolds can assist in the remyelination of the regenerating axons. The electrospinning process allows control over fiber diameter, alignment, porosity, and morphology. Biodegradable polymers have been electrospun and their use in tissue engineering has been demonstrated. This paper discusses aspects of electrospun biodegradable nanofibers for neural regeneration, how fiber alignment affects cell alignment, and how cell-seeded scaffolds can increase the effectiveness of such implants.
Subject
Neural regeneration; Electrospinning; Nanotechnology; Polymer; Nanofibers; Bioconduits; Biomaterials; Axonal guidance
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2019-04-04
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
CC BY 3.0
DOI
10.14288/1.0377814
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/69463
Affiliation
Applied Science, Faculty of; Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of
Citation
Polymers 3 (4): 1684-1733 (2011)
Publisher DOI
10.3390/polym3041684
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

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CC BY 3.0