[en] Porous polymer scaffolds are promising materials for neural tissue engineering because they offer valuable three-dimensional (3D) supports for the in vitro and in vivo axonal growth and tissue expansion. At the time being, how the in vivo neuronal cell development depends on the scaffold 3-D architecture is unknown. Therefore, scanning electron micrographs of longitudinal sections of porous polylactide scaffolds and immunohistological sections of these scaffolds after implantation and neurofilament staining have been studied by image analysis. Pore orientation and axonal ingrowth have been investigated by spectral analysis on gray level SEM images. Binary image processing has been carried out and the binary images have been studied by spectral analysis in order to estimate the possible effect of the image noise on the real pattern. In addition to axonal orientation, density and length distribution of the regenerated axons into the polymer scaffold have been measured. Dependence of the axonal ingrowth on the 3D-polymer scaffold has been discussed on the basis of the collected data. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Research center :
Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules (CERM)
Disciplines :
Chemistry Life sciences: Multidisciplinary, general & others Materials science & engineering
Author, co-author :
Blacher, Silvia ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques > Labo de biologie des tumeurs et du développement
Maquet, Véronique; Université de Liège - ULiège > Department of Chemistry > Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules (CERM)
Luyckx, Françoise ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > Chimie médicale
Martin, Didier ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques > Neurochirurgie
Schoenen, Jean ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Neuro-anatomie
Moonen, Gustave ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques > Neurologie - Doyen de la Faculté de Médecine
Jérôme, Robert ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Department of Chemistry > Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules (CERM)
Pirard, Jean-Paul ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de chimie appliquée > Génie chimique - Génie catalytique
Language :
English
Title :
Image analysis of the axonal ingrowth into poly(D,L-lactide) porous scaffolds in relation to the 3-D porous structure
BELSPO - SPP Politique scientifique - Service Public Fédéral de Programmation Politique scientifique F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique [BE]
Commentary :
The authors acknowledge Biomaterials (Elsevier) for allowing them to archive this paper.
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