Brief Local Application of Progesterone via a Wearable Bioreactor Induces Long-Term Regenerative Response in Adult Xenopus Hindlimb.

ABSTRACT: The induction of limb repair in adult vertebrates is a pressing, unsolved problem. Here, we characterize the effects of an integrated device that delivers drugs to severed hindlimbs of adult Xenopus laevis, which normally regenerate cartilaginous spikes after amputation. A wearable bioreactor containing a silk protein-based hydrogel that delivered progesterone to the wound site immediately after hindlimb amputation for only 24 hr induced the regeneration of paddle-like structures in adult frogs. Molecular markers, morphometric analysis, X-ray imaging, immunofluorescence, and behavioral assays were used to characterize the differences between the paddle-like structures of successful regenerates and hypomorphic spikes that grew in untreated animals. Our experiments establish a model for test

SUBMITTER: Herrera-Rincon C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6317729 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature