Authors: Bin Zhu, Guangjin Gu, Jie Ren, Xiaomeng Song, Junjin Li, Chunyan Wang, Wencan Zhang, Yanqing Huo, Haifeng Wang, Lin Jin, Shiqing Feng, and Zhijian Wei
ACS Nano, November 10, 2023
Scientists explore a promising therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury, using Axion’s hands-free Maestro MEA platform to evaluate neural activity in isolated rat spinal cord tissue sections in vitro.
New approaches for treating spinal cord injury (SCI) are urgently needed. In this study, researchers design a hydrogel patch embedded with Schwann cell-derived exosomes and methylprednisolone for spinal cord repair and evaluate the electrophysiological and functional effects using in vitro and in vivo methods. After inducing spinal cord injury in rats and implanting composite patches for repair, spinal cord sections were isolated for electrophysiological analysis with Axion’s label-free Maestro multielectrode array (MEA) platform. Overall, MEA and other results demonstrated that the patch promoted the survival of residual neurons and reduced inflammation, while in vivo findings showed improved histological and functional performance in rats with SCI. The improvement was highest using patches with both exosomes and methylprednisolone compared to methylprednisolone alone, suggesting benefits from both factors and supporting the therapeutic potential of the double-factor approach.
