Matching mechanical heterogeneity of the native spinal cord augments axon infiltration in 3D-printed scaffolds.

ABSTRACT: Scaffolds delivered to injured spinal cords to stimulate axon connectivity often match the anisotropy of native tissue using guidance cues along the rostral-caudal axis, but current approaches do not mimic the heterogeneity of host tissue mechanics. Although white and gray matter have different mechanical properties, it remains unclear whether tissue mechanics also vary along the length of the cord. Mechanical testing performed in this study indicates that bulk spinal cord mechanics do differ along anatomical level and that these differences are caused by variations in the ratio of white and gray matter. These results suggest that scaffolds recreating the heterogeneity of spinal cord tissue mechanics must account for the disparity between gray and white matter. Digital light processing (DL

SUBMITTER: Tran KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10292106 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature