Functional improvement and neurogenesis after collagen-GAG matrix implantation into surgical brain trauma

Surgical or traumatic brain injury often leads to loss of cerebral parenchyma but there is as yet no clinically effective strategy for neural regeneration. Collagen glycosaminoglycan (collagen-GAG, CG) scaffolds have previously been used in many tissues in vivo but have never been utilized in the brain. Using an animal model, we investigated the effects of the implantation of CG scaffold matrix following surgical brain trauma. Results indicated that implantation of CG scaffold could significantly promote functional recovery following surgical brain trauma. The CG scaffold was found to facilitate proliferation, differentiation and migration of endogenous neural precursor cells (NPCs) both in the intra-matrix zone (IMZ) and lesion boundary zone (LBZ). The tissue concentration of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glia-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in the cortex demonstrated a sustained increase after implantation of CG scaffold following surgical brain trauma. These results suggest that the utilization of CG scaffolds can be considered as a potential clinical strategy for tissue regeneration and functional recovery after brain injury.