面神经损伤的治疗是临床医学面临的一个重要挑战。中国科学院遗传发育所戴建武研究员再生医学实验室与南京鼓楼医院合作，制备了适合面神经损伤修复的功能支架材料，并用动物模型验证了此功能支架材料可以有效促进面神经损伤的修复。
在这项研究中，他们以天然支架材料胶原和层粘连蛋白为基础，分别制备了神经导管，胶原 和层粘连蛋白有序支架，这两种有序纤维可分别与具有胶原结合能力或层粘连蛋白结合能力的生长因子CNTF和BDNF特异结合，共同组合形成功能支架材料；并建立了大鼠面神经横断损伤模型，结果表明此功能支架材料具有良好的生物相容性和适宜的降解速度，能够诱导神经纤维有序延伸以及轴突的再髓鞘化，促进面神经传导通路重建和运动功能的恢复，显示了良好的临床应用前景。
这项工作受到中国科学院战略性科技先导专项项目和国家自然基金委重点项目的资助，研究结果发表于Biomaterials杂志。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2012.10.031
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Induction of rat facial nerve regeneration by functional collagen scaffolds.
Cao J, Xiao Z, Jin W, Chen B, Meng D, Ding W, Han S, Hou X, Zhu T, Yuan B, Wang J, Liang W, Dai J.
Nerve conduit provides a promising strategy for nerve regeneration, and the proper microenvironment in the lumen could improve the regeneration. Our previous work had demonstrated that linear ordered collagen scaffold (LOCS) could effectively guide the oriented growth of axons. Laminin is known as an important nerve growth promoting factor and can facilitate the growth cone formation. In addition, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) can effectively improve the nerve regeneration after nerve injuries. However, in practice, diffusion caused by the body fluids is the major obstacle in their applications. To retain CNTF or BDNF on the scaffolds, we produced collagen binding CNTF (CBD-CNTF), collagen binding BDNF (CBD-BDNF) and laminin binding CNTF (LBD-CNTF), laminin binding BDNF (LBD-BDNF) respectively. In this work, we developed laminin modified LOCS fibers (L × LOCS) by chemical cross-linking LOCS fibers with laminin. Collagen binding or laminin binding neurotrophic factors were combined with LOCS or L × LOCS, and then filled them into the collagen nerve conduit. They were found to guide the ordered growth of axons, and improve the nerve functional recovery in the rat facial nerve transection model. The combination of CNTF and BDNF greatly enhanced the facial nerve regeneration and functional recovery.
