Repair of injured spinal cord using platelet-rich plasma- and endometrial stem cells-loaded chitosan scaffolds

Abstract

Engineering scaffolds that can not only act as a vehicle for stem cell delivery but also support axon regeneration, may significantly improve the treatment outcome of spinal cord injury (SCI). In this study, we developed chitosan scaffold containing human endometrial stem cells (hEnSCs) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to provide a controlled environment for facilitating cell ingrowth and differentiation and also to persuade axon nervous tissue repair. The results showed that 80 µL PRP-loaded chitosan scaffold has excellent hEnSCs viability and can promote the regeneration of nerve fibers and angiogenesis and prevent the formation of scar tissue in the repair of SCI.