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  2. Human hair keratins promote the regeneration of peripheral nerves in a rat sciatic nerve crush model

Human hair keratins promote the regeneration of peripheral nerves in a rat sciatic nerve crush model

  • J Mater Sci Mater Med. 2019 Jul 4;30(7):82. doi: 10.1007/s10856-019-6283-1.
Jianyi Gao 1 Lei Zhang 1 Yusheng Wei 1 Tianyan Chen 1 Xianyan Ji 1 Kai Ye 1 Jiahong Yu 1 Bin Tang 1 Xiaochun Sun 1 Jiabo Hu 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Jinagsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, China.
  • 2 Jinagsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, China. [email protected].
Abstract

Axon regeneration and functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury remains a clinical challenge. Injury leads to axonal disintegration after which Schwann cells (SCs) and macrophages re-engage in the process of regeneration. At present, biomaterials are regarded as the most promising way to repair peripheral nerve damage. As a natural material, keratin has a wide range of sources and has good biocompatibility and biodegradability. Here, a keratin was extracted from human hair by reducing method and a keratin Sponge with porous structure was obtained by further processing. The results suggested that keratin can promote cell adhesion, proliferation, migration as well as the secretion of Neurotrophic Factors by SCs and the regulation of the expression of macrophage inflammatory cytokines in vitro. We report for the first time that human hair keratin can promote the extension of axon in DRG neurons. The motor deficits caused by a sciatic nerve crush injury were alleviated by keratin Sponge dressing in vivo. Thus, keratin has been identified as a valuable biomaterial that can enhance peripheral nerve regeneration.

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