An Injectable, Self-Healing Hydrogel to Repair the Central Nervous System

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) Vol. 27; no. 23; pp. 3518 - 3524
• Main Authors: Tseng, Ting-Chen, Tao, Lei, Hsieh, Fu-Yu, Wei, Yen, Chiu, Ing-Ming, Hsu, Shan-hui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2015
• Subjects: Alginates - chemistry; Animals; Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Biocompatible Materials - pharmacology; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Central nervous system; Central Nervous System - cytology; Central Nervous System - drug effects; Central Nervous System - injuries; Chitosan - chemistry; Danio rerio; Glucuronic Acid - chemistry; Healing; Hexuronic Acids - chemistry; Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate - chemistry; Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate - pharmacology; Hydrogels; injectable hydrogels; Injections; Injuries; Mathematical models; Mechanical Phenomena; neural repair; neural stem cells; Neural Stem Cells - cytology; Neural Stem Cells - drug effects; Repair; self-healing polymers; Zebrafish; injectable hydrogels; neural repair; neural stem cells; self-healing polymers
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.201500762

An injectable, self‐healing hydrogel (≈1.5 kPa) is developed for healing nerve‐system deficits. Neurosphere‐like progenitors proliferate in the hydrogel and differentiate into neuron‐like cells. In the zebrafish injury model, the central nervous system function is partially rescued by injection of the hydrogel and significantly rescued by injection of the neurosphere‐laden hydrogel. The self‐healing hydrogel may thus potentially repair the central nervous system.