PVDF piezoelectric neural conduit incorporated pre-differentiated adipose-derived stem cells may accelerate the repair of peripheral nerve injury

Abstract

Peripheral nerve injury is a common trauma disease which often results in sensory and motor dysfunction. However, the surgical repair for peripheral nerve injury, especially for large segmental defects, is not satisfactory. Growing evidences suggest that artificial neural conduit combined with stem cells is potential tissue engineering remediation method for peripheral nerve injury. But, selections of biomaterials and stem cells are still being debated. Based on the findings from previous studies, we hypothesize that PVDF piezoelectric neural conduit incorporated Schwann-like cells which pre-differentiated from adipose-derived stem cells may substantially promote the repair of peripheral nerve injury. This novel technique may help clinical surgeons cure the seriously injured patients better and point out a new direction for neural tissue engineering researchers select the suitable biomaterials and seed cells.