gms | German Medical Science

64th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)

German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)

26 - 29 May 2013, Düsseldorf

Soft alginate hydrogel alters scar formation and promotes locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury in a rat hemimyelonectomy model

Meeting Abstract

  • Kerim Hakan Sitoci-Ficici - Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, Carl Gustav Carus Universitätsklinikum, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Deutschland
  • Marina Matyash - Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, Carl Gustav Carus Universitätsklinikum, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Deutschland; Klinik für Neuropädiatrie, Carl Gustav Carus Universitätsklinikum, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Deutschland
  • Elke Leipnitz - Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, Carl Gustav Carus Universitätsklinikum, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Deutschland
  • Robert Later - Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, Carl Gustav Carus Universitätsklinikum, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Deutschland
  • Chrysanthy Ikonomidou - Klinik für Neuropädiatrie, Carl Gustav Carus Universitätsklinikum, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Deutschland; Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin, and Waisman Center, Developmental Brain Injury Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
  • Michael Gelinsky - Max-Bergmann-Zentrum für Biomaterialien, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Deutschland; Zentrum für Translationale Knochen-, Gelenk- und Weichgewebeforschung, Carl Gustav Carus Universitätsklinikum, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Deutschland; DFG-Zentrum für Regenerative Therapien Dresden, Cluster of Excellence (CRTD), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
  • Gabriele Schackert - Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, Carl Gustav Carus Universitätsklinikum, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Deutschland
  • Matthias Kirsch - Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, Carl Gustav Carus Universitätsklinikum, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Deutschland; DFG-Zentrum für Regenerative Therapien Dresden, Cluster of Excellence (CRTD), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 64. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC). Düsseldorf, 26.-29.05.2013. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2013. DocMI.01.05

doi: 10.3205/13dgnc287, urn:nbn:de:0183-13dgnc2870

Published: May 21, 2013

© 2013 Sitoci-Ficici et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.


Outline

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Objective: The treatment of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and the consecutive devastating neurological sequelae have an enormous individual and economic impact. Among other approaches, implantation of functionalized hydrogels is very promising, because they can serve as a matrix for the regenerating tissue, carry and release bioactive molecules and various cell types. Recently, we demonstrated that soft alginate hydrogel supported neurite outgrowth and protected neurons against oxidative stress in vitro. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of such soft alginate hydrogels on locomotor recovery in a hemimyelonectomy model of spinal cord injury in rats

Method: A rat SCI model consisted of a left-sided hemimyelonectomy (2 or 4 mm gaps) at the thoracic vertebral level 9. Four groups were built: 1) rats with 2 mm gaps and soft alginate (n=8), 2) vehicle control with 2 mm gap (n=11), 3) rats with 4 mm gaps and soft alginate (n=8), and 4) vehicle control with 4 mm gap (n=7). The animals were assessed in a variety of behavioral tests consisting of open field (BBB score), swimming (Louisville Swim score, LSS), and narrow beam walking (cm). Immunohistochemical staining with GFAP, Iba1, GAP43, Cy3, β-II-Tubulin as well as anterograde axonal labeling were performed to assess the degree of axonal regeneration and posttraumatic scar formation.

Results: 2 mm-alginate-rats demonstrated significantly improved locomotor recovery compared to vehicle controls detectable already 10 days after SCI in LSS (p<0,01), and in BBB scores 70 (p<0.05) days, respectively. Also in the 4 mm-alginate-group, the animals performed better, albeit without statistical significance. Histological examination of spinal cords revealed that fibrous scarring was absent in spinal cord wounds of alginate-rats, but it was extensive in vehicle controls. Anterograde in vivo tracing of axons in chronic inflammatory phase revealed similar distribution of DiI-axons in vehicle controls and alginate-rats: DiI-labelling was abrogated at the wound margin, but was continuous on the lesion-free side of spinal cord.

Conclusions: Implantation of soft alginate hydrogel improved locomotor recovery in rats after SCI and inhibited fibrous and glial scarring of spinal cord wound region.