Bioactive hybrid protein coated artificial nerve conduit for peripheral nerve regeneration
발표자
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초록
내용
Peripheral nerve injuries remain a major challenge in regenerative medicine due to the limited self-healing capacity of the nervous system. This limitation highlights the needs for developing nerve regenerative biomaterials. Herein, we report a covalently bonded hybrid protein of gelatin and nerve growth factor (NGF) via photo-crosslinking (NGpc). This was possible by forming di-tyrosine from gelatin and NGF. Although chemical structures were altered after photo-crosslinking, the secondary protein structures were maintained, thereby preserving the bioactivities of the two components. The NGpc precursor was fast-casted onto the PCL nerve conduit and expose to blue light for 1 minute, confirming homogeneous coating via fluorescence and scanning electron microscope. Notably, the NGpc-coated conduit showed in vitro stability for 3 months and enhanced Schwann cell proliferation. These findings suggest that the NGpc-coated conduit could provide a promising nervous system repair.