LAUSR

Peripheral nerve defects are a worldwide problem, and autologous nerve transplantation is currently the gold-standard treatment for them. Tissue-engineered nerve (TEN) grafts are widely considered promising methods for the same, and have attracted much attention. To improve repair, the incorporation of bionics into TEN grafts has become a focus of research. In this study, a novel bionic TEN graft with a biomimetic structure and composition was designed. For this purpose, a chitin helical scaffold was fabricated by means of mold casting and acetylation using chitosan as the raw material, following which a fibrous membrane was electrospun on the outer layer of the chitin scaffold. The lumen of the structure was filled with human bone mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular matrix and fibers to provide nutrition and topographic guidance, respectively. The prepared TEN graft was then transplanted to bridge 10-mm sciatic nerve defects in rats. Morphological and functional examination showed that the repair effects of the TEN grafts and autografts were similar. The bionic TEN graft described in this study shows great potential for application and offers a new way to repair clinical peripheral nerve defects. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.