Alignment of multiple glial cell populations in 3D nanofiber scaffolds: Toward the development of multicellular implantable scaffolds for repair of neural injury

Weightman, Alan; Jenkins, Stuart; Pickard, Mark; Chari, Divya; Yang, Ying

Abstract

Non-neuronal cells of the central nervous system (CNS), termed “neuroglia,” play critical roles in neural regeneration; therefore, replacement of glial populations via implantable nanofabricated devices (providing a growth-permissive niche) is a promising strategy to enhance repair. Most constructs developed to date have lacked three-dimensionality, multiple glial populations and control over spatial orientations, limiting their ability to mimic in vivo neurocytoarchitecture. We describe a facile technique to incorporate multiple glial cell populations [astrocytes, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) and oligodendrocytes] within a three-dimensional (3D) nanofabricated construct. Highly aligned nanofibers could induce elongation of astrocytes, while OPC survival, elongation and maturation required pre-aligned astrocytes. The potential to scale-up the numbers of constituent nanofiber layers is demonstrated with astrocytes. Such complex implantable constructs with multiple glial sub-populations in defined 3D orientations could represent an effective approach to reconstruct glial circuitry in neural injury sites.

Citation

Weightman, A., Jenkins, S., Pickard, M., Chari, D., & Yang, Y. (2014). Alignment of multiple glial cell populations in 3D nanofiber scaffolds: Toward the development of multicellular implantable scaffolds for repair of neural injury. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine, 10(2), 291-295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2013.09.001

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 13, 2013
• Online Publication Date: Oct 1, 2013
• Publication Date: 2014-02
• Deposit Date: Jun 7, 2023
• Journal: Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine
• Print ISSN: 1549-9634
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 291-295
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2013.09.001
• Keywords: Pharmaceutical Science; General Materials Science; Biomedical Engineering; Molecular Medicine; Medicine (miscellaneous); Bioengineering