Abstract
As the application of graphene nanomaterials gets increasingly attractive in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, the long-term evaluation is necessary and urgent as to their biocompatibility and regenerative capacity in different tissue injuries, such as nerve, bone, and heart. However, it still remains controversial about the potential biological effects of graphene on neuronal activity, especially after severe nerve injuries. In this study, we establish a lengthy peripheral nerve defect rat model and investigate the potential toxicity of layered graphene-loaded polycaprolactone scaffold after implantation during 18 months in vivo. In addition, we further identify possible biologically regenerative effects of this scaffold on myelination, axonal outgrowth, and locomotor function recovery. It is confirmed that graphene-based nanomaterials exert negligible toxicity and repair large nerve defects by dual regulation of Schwann cells and astroglia in the central and peripheral nervous systems. The findings enlighten the future of graphene nanomaterial as a key type of biomaterials for clinical translation in neuronal regeneration.
Highlights
The graphene-based materials (GBM) are a class of twodimensional carbon nanomaterials with incredible physical, chemical, and mechanical properties[1,2,3]
Toxicity effect of graphene-based nanoscaffolds (GBN) in a peripheral nerve defect We investigated the toxicity effect of GBN in a lengthy sciatic nerve defect model over 18 months in vivo
The histological results of the major functioning organs reflected that no prominent morphological changes occurred in any of the heart, liver, spleen, lung, or kidney due to toxic insults from GBN (Fig. 1)
Summary
The graphene-based materials (GBM) are a class of twodimensional carbon nanomaterials with incredible physical, chemical, and mechanical properties[1,2,3] They include graphene and its derivatives, such as graphene oxide (GO), reduced GO, graphite oxide, and ultrathin graphite, and are highly stiff, elastic, thermally, and electrically conductive[4,5,6]. In the field of tissue engineering, the incorporation of graphene and its derivatives into polymer has become an important way of manufacturing artificial compound scaffolds for tissue repair[10,11,12] In this way, GBM improve the physical and mechanical characteristics as well as the general manifestation of the polymeric substrate by imparting significant cues such as electrical conductivity and mechanical reinforcement of synthetic scaffolds. In addition to the unique properties, the biocompatibility of biomaterials should be considered carefully
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