Activated Platelet-Rich Plasma Fibrin Scaffolds Enhance Axonal Regeneration and Functional Recovery Following Spinal...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Spinal cord injury (SCI) presents limited treatment options due to poor regeneration and glial scar formation.
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)-based biomaterials show promise for neural repair.
• Comprehensive validation of PRP scaffolds in complete SCI models is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a clinically translatable PRP-derived fibrin scaffold for spinal cord regeneration.
• To extend knowledge on PRP applications in SCI.
• To provide rigorous multimodal validation for a novel SCI therapeutic.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized and characterized PRP-fibrin scaffolds for physicochemical properties, degradation, protein release, and cellular compatibility.
• Evaluated regenerative potential using in ovo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays and a complete spinal cord transection rat model.
• Employed multimodal outcome measures including MRI, neuronal tracing, electrophysiology, and gene expression analysis.

Main Results:

• The PRP-fibrin scaffold exhibited favorable characteristics and supported angiogenesis in CAM assays.
• In an SCI model, the scaffold enhanced neovascularization, reduced glial scarring, and promoted axonal regeneration.
• Functional recovery was observed 30 days post-implantation, with stable in silico interactions between scaffold proteins and neuroregenerative molecules.

Conclusions:

• The study validates a PRP-derived fibrin scaffold as a robust, ECM-mimetic platform for spinal cord repair.
• The findings support the potential of this scaffold for future clinical translation in SCI therapeutics.
• Multimodal validation confirms the scaffold's efficacy in promoting neural regeneration and functional recovery.