Objective To investigate the effect of polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)/graphene oxide (GO) nanofibers combined with brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on neural stem cells (NSCs) proliferation and differentiation as well as on the spinal cord injury repair.Methods PLGA/GO nanofibers were manufactured and absorbed with BDNF,and the microstructure of PLGA/GO nanofibers was observed by scanning electron microscope.The loading efficiency and release curve of BDNF on PLGA/GO nanofibers were measured by ELISA.NSCs were implanted on the surface of PLGA/GO and PLGA/GO/BDNF nanofibers.The absorbance values of each group were measured by MTT method,and the expression of Tuj-1 was observed by immunofluorescence and PCR.A total of 30 female SD rats were divided into control group (n =10),PLGA/GO group (n =10) and PLGA/GO/BDNF group (n =10) according to random number table.T9 spinal cord tissue was cut by Venus scissors to establish spinal cord hemisection injury model of rats.PLGA/GO and PLGA/GO/BDNF nanofibers were implanted onto the surface of injury site.BBB score was used to assess the motion functional recovery of the rats at 1,7,14 and 28 days after operation.Immunofluorescence staining of neuron specific nucleoprotein (NeuN)and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were performed to observe the expressions of neurons and astrocytes at the injured site respectively one month after injury.Results The PLGA/GO nanofibers showed an irregular smooth fiber-like structure,and the average fiber diameter was (987.5 ± 176.3)nm.NSCs could differentiate into neurons on the nanofibers.The result of ELISA showed loading rate of BDNF on PLGA/GO nanofibers was about 47.5％.The release curve showed that BDNF was first released about 30％ on the first day and then about 60％ on the 21st day.The results of MTT and PCR showed that optical density value and Tuj-1 gene expression in the PLGA/GO/BDNF group were significantly higher than those in the PLGA/GO group (P ＜ 0.05).The animal experiment results showed that the BBB score of PLGA/GO/BDNF group was (15.3 ±0.7) points at 28 days after injury,which was significantly higher than that of the injury control group [(11.8 ± 0.8) points] and that of PLGA/GO group [(12.7 ±0.8) points] (P ＜ 0.05).Immunofluorescence results showed that the expression of NeuN in PLGA/GO/BDNF group was 13.7 ± 2.2,significantly higher than that in injury control group (4.3 ± 2.9) (P ＜0.05),and the expression of GFAP in PLGA/GO group was (25.6 ± 4.3) ％ significantly lower than that in injury control group [(38.5 ± 6.2) ％] and PLGA/GO group [(36.7 ± 7.3) ％] (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion PLGMGO nanofibers combined with BDNF can effectively promote the proliferation and neuron differentiation of NSCs in vitro and repair spinal cord injury in vivo through orthotopic transplantation at the injury site.

BACKGROUND:How to effectively promote bone regeneration and bone reconstruction after bone injury has always been a key issue in clinical bone repair research.The use of biological and degradable materials loaded with bioactive factors to treat bone defects has excellent application prospects in bone repair. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of polylactic acid-glycolic acid copolymer(PLGA)composite scaffold modified by lysine-grafted graphene oxide nanoparticles(LGA-g-GO)on osteogenic differentiation and new bone formation. METHODS:PLGA was dissolved in dichloromethane and PLGA scaffold was prepared by solvent evaporation method.PLGA/GO composite scaffolds were prepared by dispersing graphene oxide uniformly in PLGA solution.LGA-g-GO nanoparticles were prepared by chemical grafting method,and the PLGA/LGA-g-GO composite scaffolds were constructed by blending LGA-g-GO nanoparticles at different mass ratios(1%,2%,and 3%)with PLGA.The micromorphology,hydrophilicity,and protein adsorption capacity of scaffolds of five groups were characterized.MC3T3 cells were inoculated on the surface of scaffolds of five groups to detect cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The surface of PLGA scaffolds was smooth and flat under scanning electron microscope,while the surface of the other four scaffolds was rough.The surface roughness of the composite scaffolds increased with the increase of the addition of LGA-g-GO nanoparticles.The water contact angle of PLGA/LGA-g-GO(3%)composite scaffolds was lower than that of the other four groups(P<0.05).The protein adsorption capacity of PLGA/LGA-g-GO(1%,2%,and 3%)composite scaffolds was stronger than PLGA and PLGA/GO scaffolds(P<0.05).(2)CCK-8 assay showed that PLGA/LGA-g-GO(2%,3%)composite scaffold could promote the proliferation of MC3T3 cells.Alkaline phosphatase staining and alizarin red staining showed that the cell alkaline phosphatase activity in PLGA/LGA-g-GO(2%,3%)group was higher than that in the other three groups(P<0.05).The calcium deposition in the PLGA/GO and PLGA/LGA-g-GO(1%,2%,and 3%)groups was higher than that in the PLGA group(P<0.05).(3)In summary,PLGA/LGA-g-GO composite scaffold can promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts,and is conducive to bone regeneration and bone reconstruction after bone injury.