Wenzu Wang

Optic nerve regeneration in polyglycolic acid-chitosan conduits coated with recombinant L1-Fc.

Autografts have been extensively studied to facilitate optic nerve (ON) regeneration in animal experiments, but the clinical application of this approach to aid autoregeneration has not yet been attempted. This study aims to explore the guided regeneration by an artificial polyglycolic acid–chitosan conduit coated with recombinant L1-Fc. Consistent with previous studies; in vitro assay showed that both chitosan, a natural biomaterial, and the neural cell adhesion molecule L1-Fc enhanced neurite outgrowth. Rat optic nerve transection was used as an in vivo model. The implanted PGA-chitosan conduit was progressively degraded and absorbed, accompanied by significant axonal regeneration as revealed by immunohistochemistry, anterograde and retrograde tracing. The polyglycolic acid–chitosan conduit coated with L1-Fc showed more effective to promote axonal regeneration and remyelination. Taken together, our observations demonstrated that the L1-Fc coated PGA–chitosan conduits provided a compatible and supportive canal to guild the injured nerve regeneration and remyelination.

Radial Compressive Properties of the Biodegradable Braided Regeneration Tubes for Peripheral Nerve Repair

Different regeneration tubes braided from biodegradable material poly (glycolide-co-L-lactide) (PGLA) for peripheral nerve repair and their radial compressive properties are presented. The influences of the braided structure and braiding angle are discussed. The results have shown that the nerve tube braided with the triaxial structure and the braiding angle at 60 has a higher ability to resist the radial compressions.