In vitro development of a tissue-engineered model of peripheral nerve regeneration to study neurite growth

SPECIFIC AIMSNerve regeneration in the peripheral nervous system is a critical step, especially to enhance the recovery of organ functionality after transplantation, when it is mostly or partly monitored by the nervous system, such as the sense of touch in skin. The goal of this study was to develop and characterize the first tissue-engineered 3-dimensional culture system that physiologically reproduces a peripheral nerve regeneration process in vitro by coculturing fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and dorsal root ganglion neurons, with or without keratinocytes, in a collagen sponge for up to 31 days.PRINCIPAL FINDINGS1. Development of the tissue-engineered models of peripheral nerve regeneration (MPNR)Animal and cell culture models are developed to further understand processes of neurotoxicity, neuronal dysfunction, and nerve degeneration/regeneration. None of the in vitro and in vivo models proposed in the literature allows the long-term study of neurite growth in a well-defined 3-dimensional environment...