Journal article
A pilot study of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-g-polyethylene glycol and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-g-methylcellulose branched copolymers as injectable scaffolds for local delivery of neurotrophins and cellular transplants into the injured spinal cord
Journal of neurosurgery. Spine, Vol.15(6), pp.594-604
01 Dec 2011
PMID: 21888482
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Object. The authors investigated the feasibility of using injectable hydrogels, based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), lightly crosslinked with polyethylene glycol (PEG) or methylcellulose (MC), to serve as injectable scaffolds for local delivery of neurotrophins and cellular transplants into the injured spinal cord. The primary aims of this work were to assess the biocompatibility of the scaffolds by evaluating graft cell survival and the host tissue immune response. The scaffolds were also evaluated for their ability to promote axonal growth through the action of released brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
Methods. The in vivo performance of PNIPAAm-g-PEG and PNIPAAm-g-MC was evaluated using a rodent model of spinal cord injury (SCI). The hydrogels were injected as viscous liquids into the injury site and formed space-filling hydrogels. The host immune response and biocompatibility of the scaffolds were evaluated at 2 weeks by histological and fluorescent immunohistochemical analysis. Commercially available matrices were used as a control and examined for comparison.
Results. Experiments showed that the scaffolds did not contribute to an injury-related inflammatory response. PNIPAAm-g-PEG was also shown to be an effective vehicle for delivery of cellular transplants and supported graft survival. Additionally, PNIPAAm-g-PEG and PNIPAAm-g-MC are permissive to axonal growth and can serve as injectable scaffolds for local delivery of BDNF.
Conclusions. Based on the results, the authors suggest that these copolymers are feasible injectable scaffolds for cell grafting into the injured spinal cord and for delivery of therapeutic factors. (DOI. 10.3171/2011.7.SPINEI1194)
Metrics
2 Record Views
Details
- Title
- A pilot study of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-g-polyethylene glycol and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-g-methylcellulose branched copolymers as injectable scaffolds for local delivery of neurotrophins and cellular transplants into the injured spinal cord
- Creators
- Lauren Conova - Drexel UniversityJennifer Vernengo - Rowan UniversityYing Jin - Drexel UniversityB. Timothy Himes - Drexel UniversityBirgit Neuhuber - Drexel UniversityItzhak Fischer - Drexel UniversityAnthony Lowman - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Journal of neurosurgery. Spine, Vol.15(6), pp.594-604
- Publisher
- Amer Assoc Neurological Surgeons
- Number of pages
- 11
- Grant note
- NS061307 / NIH; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA R21NS061307 / NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke (NINDS)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Neurobiology and Anatomy
- Identifiers
- 991019167689804721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Clinical Neurology
- Surgery