A rolled sheet of collagen gel with cultured Schwann cells: Model of nerve conduit to enhance neurite growth

We prepared a rolled sheet of collagen gel with cultured mouse Schwann cells (SCs) as a nerve conduit (a medical device for neurosurgeons to repair an injured peripheral nerve). PC12 cells and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells were used as neuronal cells for evaluating the neurite growth-promoting activity of the device. As a control, we compared the rolled device with a rod device. Those neuronal cells inoculated at the terminal part of the rolled device migrated into the central part along the inter-layer space of the collagen gel layer, and then differentiated into neurons, extending many neurites for 3–12 days in culture. Significantly, this migration of neuronal cells into the device and their subsequent neurite growth was not observed in the absence of the SCs. We conclude that our rolled sheet of collagen gel with SCs was well designed and very effective to promote neurite growth, and is a promising candidate for the nerve conduit.