Decellularized Extracellular Matrix Containing Electrospun Fibers for Nerve Regeneration:A Comparison Between Core–Shell Structured and Preblended Composites

Advanced biomaterial-based strategies for treatment of peripheral nerve injury require precise control over both topological and biological cues for facilitating rapid and directed nerve regeneration.As a highly bioactive and tissue-specifc natural material,decellularized extracellular matrix(dECM)derived from peripheral nerves(decellularized nerve matrix,DNM)has drawn increasing attention in the feld of regenerative medicine,due to its outstanding capabilities in facilitating neurite outgrowth and remyelination.To induce and maintain sufcient topological guidance,electrospinning was conducted for fabrication of axially aligned nanofbers consisting of DNM and poly(ε-caprolactone)(PCL).Core–shell structured fbers were prepared by coaxial electrospinning using DNM as the shell and PCL as the core.Compared to the aligned electrospun fbers using preblended DNM/PCL,the core–shell structured fbers exhibited lower tensile strength,faster degradation,but considerable toughness for nerve guidance conduit preparation and relatively intact fbrous structure after long-term degradation.More importantly,the full DNM surface coverage of the aligned core–shell fbers efectively promoted axonal extension and Schwann cells migration.The DNM contents further triggered neurite bundling and myelin formation toward nerve fber maturation and functionalization.Herein,we not only pursue a multi-functional scafold design for nerve regeneration,a detailed comparison between core–shell structured and preblended electrospinning of DNM/PCL composites was also provided as an applicable paradigm for advanced tissue-engineered strategies using dECM-based biomaterials.