Use of spider silk fibres as an innovative material in a biocompatible artificial nerve conduit

The axons of the peripheral nerve systems are able to form new sprouts and in many cases find their original target tissues rebuilding functional synapsis.This process of axonal regeneration is assisted by Schwann cells (SC) in numerous ways.One of the early events is the migration of SC to form a column in bands of Büngner.The cells are derived from a degenerative process at the distal stump called Wallerian degeneration, which induces proliferation of SC.They guide the regrowth of the proximal end of the axon by the production of many different bioactive substrates including growth factors and extracellular matrix proteins like collagen IV and laminin [18,19].Nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), neurotrophin-4/5 (NT-4/5) and neurotrophin-6 (NT-6) have been shown to be active factors during regeneration [27].Axon-Schwann cell attachment is mediated by adhesion molecules like nerve cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) and protein 0 [16,21].