Stefania Raimondo

Silicon (Si) is an essential trace element in the human body and it exists in connective tissue as aqueous orthosilicic acid. Porous chitosan–3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) hybrids can regenerate nerve tissue and recover sensor and motor functions. However, the structures and roles of the degradation products with Si extracted from the hybrids in nerve regeneration are not clear. In this study, we prepared porous chitosan–GPTMS hybrids with different amounts of GPTMS to amino groups of chitosan (chitosan:GPTMS = 1:0.5 and 1:1 molar ratios). The structures of the degradation products with Si from the hybrids were examined using time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and biological assessments were conducted in order to evaluate their potential use in the preparation of devices for nerve repair. Glial and motor cell lines and ex vivo explants of dorsal root ganglia were used in this study for evaluating their behavior in the presence of the different degradation products with Si. The structure of the degradation products with Si depended on the starting composition. The results showed that glial cell proliferation was lower in the medium with the higher-molecular-weight degradation products with Si. Moreover, motor cell line differentiation and the neurite outgrowth of dorsal root ganglion explants were improved with the lower-molecular-weight degradation products with Si. The results obtained could be useful for designing a new nerve regeneration scaffold including silicon components.