Biodegradable glutaraldehyde-crosslinked casein conduit promotes regeneration after peripheral nerve injury in adult rats.

In this study, GCC protein was used for the first time to construct a biodegradable conduit for peripheral nerve repair. The GCC was highly stable with a sufficiently high level of mechanical properties and it was non-toxic and non-apoptotic which could maintain the survival and outgrowth of Schwann cells. Noninvasive bioluminescence imaging accompanied with histochemical assessment showed the GCC was highly biocompatible after subcutaneous implantation in transgenic mice. Electrophysiology, labeling of calcitonin gene-related peptide in the lumbar spinal cord and histology analysis also showed a rapid morphological and functional recovery for disrupted rat sciatic nerves repaired with the GCC conduits. Therefore, we conclude that the GCC can offer great nerve regeneration characteristics and can be a promising material for the successful repair of peripheral nerve defects.