Investigation on the Motor Recovery Effect of a Self-Assembling Nanofiber in the Spinal Cord Injury Model in Rat

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious disabling condition associated with paralysis. Owing to suitable effects of hydrogels compared to preformed scaffolds, in this study a hydrogel based biomaterial, Matrigel, was applied. Matrigel is a termogel that forms nanofibers and hydrogel above 20°C. It contains laminin, nidogen and some growth factors that induce neural differentiation.
A moderate spinal cord contusion was performed in adult rats and 10 days after injury, matrigel was implanted. Then, they follow up via Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan test for 42 days. Cresyl violet staining was performed as a histopatological analysis.
Our data indicated less inflammation and dark cells in Matrigel group compared to control group. Locomotor test showed significant improvement of motor recovery in Matrigel group.
Our results suggest that Matrigel via some growth factors and adhesive molecules may have beneficial effects on functional recovery in SCI.