Nerve conduits with multiple physical and biochemical guiding factors for peripheral nerve defects

Peripheral nerve injury is a common complication in patients with trauma, and severe cases can result in sensory and motor function loss, affecting the quality of life. Although the peripheral nervous system has spontaneous regenerative ability, bridging long-distance nerve gaps remains a clinical challenge. Therefore, we innovatively constructed a multi-guided nerve conduit to address this issue. Using gelatin methacryloyl as the raw material, directional micropores were created through casting, demolding, and directional freezing to achieve topographical guidance. A concentration gradient of the nerve growth factor was loaded to provide biochemical guidance. Simultaneously, aligned silk fibroin fiber membranes were prepared by electrospinning to wrap the scaffold, ensuring implantation and structural integrity. Our findings confirmed that the repair effect of the multi-guided nerve conduit on rat sciatic nerve defects was comparable to that of autologous nerve grafts, providing a promising innovative solution for the clinical repair of peripheral nerve injuries.