Radially Aligned Electrospun Fibers with Continuous Gradient of SDF1α for the Guidance of Neural Stem Cells

Repair of spinal cord injury will require enhanced recruitment of endogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) from the central canal region to the lesion site to reestablish neural connectivity. The strategy toward this goal is to provide directional cues, e.g., alignment topography and biological gradients from the rostral and caudal ends toward the center. This study demonstrates a facile method for fabrication of continuous gradients of stromal‐cell‐derived factor‐1α (SDF1α) embedded in the radially aligned electrospun collagen/poly (ε‐caprolactone) mats. Gradients can be readily produced in a controllable and reproducible fashion by adjusting the collection time and collector size during electrospinning. To get a long‐term gradient, the SDF1α is fused with a unique peptide of collagen‐binding domain (CBD), which can bind to collagen specifically. Aligned CBD‐SDF1α gradients show stable, sustained, and gradual release during 7 d. Further, the effect of aligned CBD‐SDF1α gradients on the guidance of NSCs is investigated. It is found that the CBD‐SDF1α gradient scaffolds direct and enhance NSC migration from the periphery to the center along the aligned electrospun fibers. Taken together, the tubular conduits based on radially aligned electrospun fibers with continuous SDF1α gradient show great potential for guiding nerve regeneration.