Ultrasound-Responsive Aligned Piezoelectric Nanofibers Derived Hydrogel Conduits for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

Adv Mater. 2024 Jul;36(28):e2307896. doi: 10.1002/adma.202307896. Epub 2024 May 20.

Abstract

Nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) are considered as promising treatment strategy and frontier trend for peripheral nerve regeneration, while their therapeutic outcomes are limited by the lack of controllable drug delivery and available physicochemical cues. Herein, novel aligned piezoelectric nanofibers derived hydrogel NGCs with ultrasound (US)-triggered electrical stimulation (ES) and controllable drug release for repairing peripheral nerve injury are proposed. The inner layer of the NGCs is the barium titanate piezoelectric nanoparticles (BTNPs)-doped polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene [BTNPs/P(VDF-TrFE)] electrospinning nanofibers with improved piezoelectricity and aligned orientation. The outer side of the NGCs is the thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hybrid hydrogel with bioactive drug encapsulation. Such NGCs can not only induce neuronal-oriented extension and promote neurite outgrowth with US-triggered wireless ES, but also realize the controllable nerve growth factor release with the hydrogel shrinkage under US-triggered heating. Thus, the NGC can positively accelerate the functional recovery and nerve axonal regeneration of rat models with long sciatic nerve defects. It is believed that the proposed US-responsive aligned piezoelectric nanofibers derived hydrogel NGCs will find important applications in clinic neural tissue engineering.

Keywords: controllable release; electrospun nanofiber; nerve regeneration; piezoelectricity; ultrasound.

MeSH terms

  • Acrylic Resins / chemistry
  • Animals
  • Barium Compounds / chemistry
  • Drug Liberation
  • Electric Stimulation
  • Hydrogels* / chemistry
  • Nanofibers* / chemistry
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry
  • Nerve Growth Factor / chemistry
  • Nerve Growth Factor / pharmacology
  • Nerve Regeneration* / drug effects
  • Peripheral Nerve Injuries / therapy
  • Polyvinyls / chemistry
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Sciatic Nerve / drug effects
  • Sciatic Nerve / physiology
  • Tissue Engineering / methods
  • Tissue Scaffolds / chemistry
  • Titanium / chemistry
  • Ultrasonic Waves

Substances

  • Hydrogels
  • poly-N-isopropylacrylamide
  • barium titanate(IV)
  • Barium Compounds
  • Titanium
  • Polyvinyls
  • Acrylic Resins
  • Nerve Growth Factor