X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography visualizes the microstructure and degradation profile of implanted biodegradable scaffolds after spinal cord injury

Kenta Takashima,Masato Hoshino,Shojiro Matsuda,Naoto Yagi,Masahiro Kohzuki,Noriko Osumi,Hiroshi Onodera,Kentaro Uesugi,Atsushi Nakahira

doi:10.1107/s160057751402270x

Abstract

Tissue engineering strategies for spinal cord repair are a primary focus of translational medicine after spinal cord injury (SCI). Many tissue engineering strategies employ three-dimensional scaffolds, which are made of biodegradable materials and have microstructure incorporated with viable cells and bioactive molecules to promote new tissue generation and functional recovery after SCI. It is therefore important to develop an imaging system that visualizes both the microstructure of three-dimensional scaffolds and their degradation process after SCI. Here, X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography imaging based on the Talbot grating interferometer is described and it is shown how it can visualize the polyglycolic acid scaffold, including its microfibres, after implantation into the injured spinal cord. Furthermore, X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography images revealed that degradation occurred from the end to the centre of the braided scaffold in the 28 days after implantation into the injured spinal cord. The present report provides the first demonstration of an imaging technique that visualizes both the microstructure and degradation of biodegradable scaffolds in SCI research. X-ray phase-contrast imaging based on the Talbot grating interferometer is a versatile technique that can be used for a broad range of preclinical applications in tissue engineering strategies.

Highlights

Loss of neuronal function after spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a devastating condition
Many tissue engineering strategies employ three-dimensional scaffolds made of biocompatible materials that are incorporated with viable cells and bioactive molecules to promote the generation of new tissue and functional recovery (Schmidt & Leach, 2003; Subramanian et al, 2009; Straley et al, 2010; Volpato et al, 2013)
We applied X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography (CT) imaging based on a Talbot grating interferometer (Fig. 2)

Summary

Introduction

Loss of neuronal function after spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a devastating condition. Many tissue engineering strategies employ three-dimensional scaffolds made of biocompatible materials that are incorporated with viable cells and bioactive molecules to promote the generation of new tissue and functional recovery (Schmidt & Leach, 2003; Subramanian et al, 2009; Straley et al, 2010; Volpato et al, 2013) These three-dimensional scaffolds have microstructure such as pores (Thomas et al, 2013), grooves (Goldner et al, 2006), capillary (Prang et al, 2006) or polymer fibres (Yao et al, 2009; Hurtado et al, 2011) to support orderly aligned cells and promote directed axonal growth, allowing reconstruction of the neuronal network. They are often fabricated from biodegrade polymers such as polyglycolic acid (PGA), polylactic acid and their copolymers to reduce chronic inflammations after implanta-

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