Autor(es):
Samy, S. M. 
; Silva, Nuno ; Pinto, Luísa ; Castro, Andreia Cristiana Teixeira de ; Almeida, Hugo Leite ; Almeida, Armando ; Sousa, Nuno ; Salgado, António J. ; Gimble, Jeffrey M. ; Reis, R. L.
Data: 2013
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/25184
Origem: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Descrição
Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to devastating neurological deficits. Several tissue engineering (TE)-
based approaches have been investigated for repairing this condition. Poly (3-hydroxybutyrateco-
3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHB-HV) is found to be particularly attractive for TE applications due to
its properties, such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, thermoplasticity and piezoelectricity.
Hence, this report addresses the development and characterization of PHB-HV-based 3D
scaffolds, produced by freeze-drying, aimed to SCI treatment. The obtained scaffolds reveal an
anisotropic morphology with a fully interconnected
network of pores. In vitro studies demonstrate
a lack of cytotoxic effect of PHB-HV
scaffolds. Direct contact assays also reveal their
ability to support the culture of CNS-derived cells
and mesenchymal-like stem cells from different
sources. Finally, histocompatibility studies show
that PHB-HV scaffolds are well tolerated by the
host tissue, and do not negatively impact the left
hindlimb locomotor function recovery. Therefore
results herein presented suggest that PHB-HV
scaffolds may be suitable for SCI treatment.
