Injectable Neural Hydrogel As in Vivo Therapeutic Delivery Vehicle

This study demonstrated the in vivo delivery of a decellularized, injectable peripheral nerve (iPN) hydrogel and explored options for using iPN in combination with regenerative biomolecular therapies like stem cell secretome. Rat-derived iPN hydrogel solutions were combined with a dextran-conjugated dye before subcutaneous injection into adult Sprague–Dawley rats. After injection, an in vivo imaging system (IVIS) was used to visualize hydrogels and quantify dextran-dye release over time. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) was used to encapsulate the dextran-dye to prolong molecular release from the hydrogel scaffolds. Lastly, we investigated use of adipose-derived stem cell (ASC) secretome as a potential future combination strategy with iPN. ASC secretome was assessed for growth factor levels in response to media stimulation and was encapsulated in PLGA to determine loading efficiency. Gelation of iPN hydrogels was successful upon subcutaneous injection. When combined with iPN, a 10 kDa dextran-conjugated dye was reduced to 54