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Silk fibroin sponge combined with cell-derived ECM for tissue-engineered 3D functional neural tissues

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Abstract

The construction of engineered neural tissue using cell-derived extracellular matrix (ECM)-modified scaffolds is a promising approach. Silk fibroin (SF) sponge is an advantageous scaffold for the construction of engineered neural tissues, but it can still be modified to enhance its bioactivity. Inactivated mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) are proven that they can secrete amounts of ECM and soluble factors including neurotrophic factors. MEFs-derived ECM is expected to improve the activity of the scaffold. Here we aimed to construct 3D functional neural tissues based on MEFs-derived ECM modified SF sponge. MEFs were cultured on porous SF sponges and decellularized with TritonX-100 and NH4OH. The decellularized ECM deposited scaffolds were characterized through scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy. The efficiency of decellularization was evaluated by quantifying remaining DNA. Besides, we investigated the primary cortical neuronal growth and 3D neural network formation effect on MEFs-derived ECM modified SF sponges. Compared to bare SF sponges, ECM-SF sponges showed improved neuronal growth and axon extension indicated by immunofluorescence staining and RT-PCR. Specifically, ECM-SF sponges showed increased 3D neural network formation with functional connectivity. Hence, this study demonstrated that functionalization of SF scaffolds using cell-derived ECM could improve the bioactivity of SF materials and provide an ideal microenvironment for functional neural tissue formation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tissue Engineering Research Center, Academy of Military Medical Sciences and Department of Neural Engineering and Biological Interdisciplinary Studies, Institute of Military Cognition and Brain Sciences, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100850, China

    HuiMin Zhu, Wei Liu, Qi Yin, SiWei Li, ChangYong Wang & Xin Qiao

  2. Department of Neuroimmunology, Beijing Institute of Brain Sciences, Beijing, 100850, China

    Lun Song

Authors
  1. HuiMin Zhu
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  2. Wei Liu
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  3. Qi Yin
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  4. SiWei Li
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  5. ChangYong Wang
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  6. Lun Song
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  7. Xin Qiao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xin Qiao.

Additional information

This work was supported by the Key Program of the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2016YFY1101303), the Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31830030), and the Joint Funds for National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. U1601221).

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The supporting information is available online at tech.scichina.com and link.springer.com. The supporting materials are published as submitted, without typesetting or editing. The responsibility for scientific accuracy and content remains entirely with the authors.

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Zhu, H., Liu, W., Yin, Q. et al. Silk fibroin sponge combined with cell-derived ECM for tissue-engineered 3D functional neural tissues. Sci. China Technol. Sci. 63, 2113–2122 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-020-1635-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-020-1635-3

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