Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces complex biochemical changes, which result in inhibition of nervous tissue regeneration abilities. In this study, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was applied to assess the outcomes of implants made of a novel type of non-functionalized soft calcium alginate hydrogel in a rat model of spinal cord hemisection (n = 28). Using FT-IR spectroscopic imaging, we evaluated the stability of the implants and the effects on morphology and biochemistry of the injured tissue one and six months after injury. A semi-quantitative evaluation of the distribution of lipids and collagen showed that alginate significantly reduced injury-induced demyelination of the contralateral white matter and fibrotic scarring in the chronic state after SCI. The spectral information enabled to detect and localize the alginate hydrogel at the lesion site and proved its long-term persistence in vivo. These findings demonstrate a positive impact of alginate hydrogel on recovery after SCI and prove FT-IR spectroscopic imaging as alternative method to evaluate and optimize future SCI repair strategies.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Alginates / chemistry
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Alginates / therapeutic use*
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Animals
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Calcium / chemistry
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Disease Models, Animal
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Drug Implants
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Female
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Fibrosis / pathology
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Fibrosis / physiopathology
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Glucuronic Acid / chemistry
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Glucuronic Acid / therapeutic use
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Hexuronic Acids / chemistry
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Hexuronic Acids / therapeutic use
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Hydrogels / chemistry*
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Nerve Regeneration*
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Rats
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Rats, Wistar
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Reference Values
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Rheology
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Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
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Spinal Cord / pathology*
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Spinal Cord Injuries / drug therapy
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Spinal Cord Injuries / physiopathology*
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Sucrose / chemistry
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Viscosity
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White Matter / physiopathology
Substances
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Alginates
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Drug Implants
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Hexuronic Acids
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Hydrogels
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Sucrose
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Glucuronic Acid
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Calcium
Grants and funding
This research was partly funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (MediCARS project, A.Z. 13N10777). Moreover OU is recipient of a fellowship from the Medical Faculty of the TU Dresden (Habilitationsförderung für Frauen) and RB is recipient of a scholarship from the Saxon Development Bank (SAB). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.