| Spinal cord injury results in permanent sensory-motor loss. We evaluated a repair strategy for adult rat spinal cord injury by implanting genetically engineered Schwann cells within multiluminal scaffolds. Control (GFP) or neurotrophin expressing (NT-3 or BDNF) Schwann cells were seeded into 6-channel hydrogels 24 hrs prior to implantation, and used to repair thoracic dorsal hemisections. Prior to tissue harvest, the ascending sensory propioceptive and descending corticospinal pathways were tract-traced with CTB and BDA, respectively. Forty-five days after injury, GFP-expressing Schwann cells were observed within the microchannels, deploying normal morphology, including apparent myelination of regenerated axons. Robust axonal regeneration in the channels was demonstrated by beta-tubulin immunofluorescence in the Schwann cell seeded scaffolds. Further immunohistological evaluation demonstrated that the nociceptive sensory afferents, but not propioceptive or motor axons, were able to regenerate through the biosynthetic multichanneled hydrogels. These results while promising, suggest that more research is warranted to fully explore the possibility of gap repair in the injured spinal cord through multiluminal biosynthetic scaffolds. |
