A Review of Bioactive Release from Nerve Conduits as a Neurotherapeutic Strategy for Neuronal Growth in Peripheral Nerve Injury
Figure 1
Comparison between the inclusion of rods (act as physical guidance cues) and sheets of a collagen-based engineered neural tissue (EngNT) seeded with Schwann cells within conduits in vivo. Flat sheets of EngNT were compared to rods that were made by rolling the sheets, as an approach to delivery within a repair device (a). The different device designs were compared after 4-week recovery in a 5 mm rat sciatic nerve gap model, in terms of the distribution of regeneration within and around the EngNT in cross sections (b). Three zones were compared within each device group—the EngNT (zone 1), a region 25 μm from the EngNT surface (zone 2) and the remaining area within the conduit (zone 3). An empty conduit was also included [36] (reproduced with permission from Elsevier B.V. Ltd., 2013).
