Graphene oxide-PLGA hybrid nanofibres for the local delivery of IGF-1 and BDNF in spinal cord repair

AbstractSpinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to permanent and severe functional impairment below the lesion level and is still one of the most challenging clinical problems. The treatment of SCI has progressed with the development of tissue engineering techniques. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are growth factors closely related to nerve regeneration. In this study, IGF-1 and BDNF were successfully immobilized on biodegradable graphene oxide (GO)-incorporated PLGA (PLGA/GO) electrospun nanofibres. The effect of PLGA/GO nanofibres with immobilized IGF-1 and BDNF on neurogenesis was investigated in vitro and in vivo utilizing MTT assays, immunofluorescence, motor function detection and histology observations. We demonstrated that PLGA/GO nanofibres loaded with IGF-1 and BDNF not only protected NSCs from oxidative stress induced by H2O2 but also enhanced NSC proliferation and neuronal differentiation in vitro. The in vivo study of an SCI animal model demonstrat...