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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Preparation and characterization of angled dual- and multi-branched nerve guidance conduits

Yinchu Dong1† ,  Wenbi Wu1† ,  Haofan Liu1† ,  Xuebing Jiang1 ,  Li Li1 ,  Li Zhang1 ,  Yi Zhang1 ,  Jing Luo1 ,  Maling Gou1*
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1 Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
IJB, 1750 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.1750
Submitted: 2 September 2023 | Accepted: 30 October 2023 | Published: 15 January 2024
© 2024 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Branched nerve guidance conduit (NGC) provides a promising alternative to autografts for the effective treatment of severe peripheral nerve injuries. Despite this, the impact of branched architecture on nerve regeneration remains unclear, particularly concerning branch angle and number in multi-branched NGCs. In this study, we investigated the effects of branch angle and number on nerve regeneration by preparing and characterizing multi-angled and multi-branched NGCs. We designed and fabricated dual-branched NGCs (DBNs) with various branch angles and multi-branched NGCs (MBNs) through a digital light processing (DLP) printing process. When branched NGCs were implanted to bridge the linear sciatic nerve gap, nerve dual branches with acute (45°), right (90°), or obtuse (120°) branch angles were formed in DBNs, while nerve multi-branches were generated in MBNs. The regenerated nerves in DBNs with various angles exhibited comparable electrophysiological conduction and histological morphologies, indicating that the branch angle of dual-branched NGCs may not affect nerve branch regeneration. In contrast, the diameter of the regenerated nerve branches in MBNs decreased with increasing distance from the scaffold center, highlighting the potential significance of branch number in the design of branched NGCs. This study contributes valuable insights for designing, preparing, and applying branched NGCs, offering potential assistance in advancing nerve regeneration strategies.

Keywords
3D printing
Nerve regeneration
Branched nerve conduit
Nerve graft substitute
Funding
The work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation (32271468), the Sichuan Science and Technology Program (2021JDTD0001), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2022SCU12046), and Post-Doctor Research Project, West China Hospital, Sichuan University (2023HXBH081).
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Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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