Laminin-immobilized nanofibers offer a solution to nerve graft challenges
DOI: 10.1063/10.0000274
Laminin-immobilized nanofibers offer a solution to nerve graft challenges lead image
Nerve injuries are difficult to repair because of the complex biological changes that occur to the nerve tissue structure. One way to treat such injuries is by performing nerve grafts, which usually involve multiple surgeries and demand the use of healthy donor nerve. Moreover, these transplants are not always successful and often result in post-operation complications.
Nerve grafts made of biomaterials such as silk fibroin, offer an alternative solution for nerve regeneration. Silk fibroin nanofibers have been shown to support cell adhesion and proliferation. However, using silk fibroin nanofibers can also lead to complications, because of a lack of specific bioactive cues. In an effort to overcome these issues, You et al. developed a method to promote bio-compatibility using laminin-immobilized silk fibroin nanofibers.
Laminin has been used to coat nanofibers previously, but the author’s aligned electrospun nanofibers were functionalized with laminin by a biocompatible crosslinking agent to form a more stable immobilization. To improve the alignment of the nanofibers they optimized the speed of the drum to 2000 rpm, which corresponds to a surface linear velocity of roughly 10 m/s.
These optimized nanofibers were biocompatible and strong enough to be used for surgical suture. The authors confirmed that aligned nanofibers functionalized by this method improved growth of the neurites.
“We have considered using this biofunctionalized silk fibroin nanofiber to prepare a graft for spinal cord repair. Moreover, we have considered using the method in this study to use other bioactive molecules to immobilize silk nanofibers and improve the survival and axon extension of injured neurons,” You said.
Source: “Biofunctionalized silk fibroin nanofibers for directional and long neurite outgrowth,” by Xiufang Li, Qiang Zhang, Zuwei Luo, Shuqin Yan, and Renchuan You, Biointerphases (2019). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5120738 .
