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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Nanobiotechnology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1528749
This article is part of the Research Topic Dendritic Nanoparticles Synthesis and Application View all articles

Injective hydrogel encapsulating dental pulp stem cells for the treatment of traumatic optic nerve injury

Provisionally accepted
Lihua Luo Lihua Luo Zhenjie Xing Zhenjie Xing Yao Li Yao Li Ben Wang Ben Wang Na Dong Na Dong Jiayi Sun Jiayi Sun Shuimiao Wang Shuimiao Wang Yidi Xu Yidi Xu Yan He Yan He 玲琍 李 玲琍 李 Kaihui Nan Kaihui Nan Q.qingsong Adam Ye Q.qingsong Adam Ye *
  • Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objectives: To evaluate the effect of GeLMA/bFGF hydrogel loaded with DPSCs on the repair and regeneration of traumatic optic nerve injury. Materials and methods: GeLMA/bFGF hydrogel was photo-cross-linked by LED light. The physi-chemical property and cytocompatibility of GeLMA/bFGF hydrogel after squeeze (GeLMA/bFGF-SQ) were evaluated by SEM and degradation analyses as well as Live/Dead and CCK-8 assays, respectively. The axons growth of PC12 cells was evaluated by MAP2 staining. The GeLMA/bFGF/DPSCs-SQ hydrogel was injected in situ into the lesion site to observe the repair of optic nerve injury. The number of RGCs was calculated by βIII-tubulin staining. The length of regenerated axons was observed by CTB staining. Tissue recovery and axons growth of optic nerve were observed by HE and TEM analyses, respectively. Results: GeLMA/bFGF-SQ hydrogel had porous structure and great degradability as well as good cytocompatibility. Meanwhile, DPSCs conditioned medium (DPSCs-CM) could promote the axons growth of PC12 cells. Moreover, the number of RGCs and the axons regeneration of optic nerve were highest in GeLMA/bFGF/DPSCs-SQ group. HE and TEM data revealed that abundant newly and orderly arrangement of optic nerve axons observed in the damaged area of GeLMA/bFGF/DPSCs-SQ group. Conclusion: Transplatation of GeLMA/bFGF/DPSCs-SQ in situ provided an appropriate microenvironment for the repair and regeneration of injured optic nerve. Moreover, DPSCs combining with bFGF protected the RGCs from apoptosis and promoted optic nerve regeneration by secreting series of neurotrophic factors.

    Keywords: dental pulp stem cells, Traumatic optic nerve injury, Retina ganglion cells, Basic fibroblast growth factor, Hydrogel

    Received: 15 Nov 2024; Accepted: 04 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Luo, Xing, Li, Wang, Dong, Sun, Wang, Xu, He, 李, Nan and Ye. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Q.qingsong Adam Ye, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China

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