Implantable Nerve Conduit Made of a Self‐Powered Microneedle Patch for Sciatic Nerve Repair

• Published in: Advanced healthcare materials 2023-12, Vol.12 (31), p.e2301729-n/a
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xiangli, Ma, Yuanya, Chen, Ziyan, Jiang, Hong, Fan, Zengjie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Blood vessels; Cascade chemical reactions; enzyme biofuel cells; Glucose oxidase; Horseradish peroxidase; microneedle patches; Muscles; Nanoparticles; Needles; Nerve Regeneration - physiology; Nerve Tissue; Peripheral Nerve Injuries - therapy; Peripheral nerves; Peroxidase; Prostheses and Implants; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Regeneration; Sciatic nerve; Sciatic Nerve - physiology; sciatic nerve repairs
• ISSN: 2192-2640; 2192-2659; 2192-2659
• DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202301729

Peripheral nerve defects, particularly those of a larger size, pose a significant challenge in clinical practice due to their limited regenerative capacity. To tackle this challenge, an advanced self‐powered enzyme‐linked microneedle (MN) nerve conduit is designed and fabricated. This innovative conduit is composed of anodic and cathodic MN arrays, which contain glucose oxidase (GOx) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) encapsulated in ZIF‐8 nanoparticles, respectively. Through an enzymatic cascade reaction, this MN nerve conduit generates microcurrents that stimulate the regeneration of muscles, blood vessels, and nerve fibers innervated by the sciatic nerve, eventually accelerating the repair of sciatic nerve injury. It is clear that this self‐powered MN nerve conduit will revolutionize traditional treatment methods for sciatic nerve injury and find widespread application in the field of nerve tissue repair. A self‐powered and self‐fixed microneedle (MN) nerve guidance conduit (NGC) is developed for repairing peripheral nerve injury (PNI). The MN patch integrates enzymatic biofuel cells. Placed at the severed end of PNI, it uses blood glucose to generate microcurrents through an enzymatic cascade reaction, promoting PNI repair.