Schwann cell (SC), which plays a key role in peripheral nerve regeneration, is one of the most classic supportive cells in neural tissue engineering. However, the biological activity of SCs seeded in nerve scaffolds decays subsequently due to local
hypoxia induced by
ischemia. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether a synthetic
oxygen carrier-enriched
fibrin gel would provide a sustained
oxygen release to cultured SCs in vitro for overcoming a temporary (48 h)
oxygen deprivation. In this study,
perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA)-based
oxygen carrying
fibrin gel was prepared to provide
oxygen for SCs under normoxic or hypoxic conditions. The dissolved
oxygen within the
culture media was measured by a blood-gas analyzer to quantify the time course of
oxygen release from the PFTBA-enriched
fibrin gel. SCs were cultured in the presence or absence of PFTBA-enriched
fibrin gel under normoxic or hypoxic conditions. The tolerance of SCs to
hypoxia was examined by a cell apoptosis assay. The growth of cells was characterized using S-100 staining and a
CCK-8 assay. The migration of cells was examined using a Transwell chamber. The
mRNA of
brain-derived neurotrophic factor (
BDNF),
nerve growth factor (
NGF),
glial cell derived neurotrophic factor (
GDNF),
neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) and
vascular endothelial growth factor (
VEGF) in SCs were assayed by RT-PCR. In addition, SCs cultured in 3D PFTBA-enriched
hydrogel were characterized by Live/Dead staining and the
mRNA levels of
BDNF,
NGF,
GDNF, N-CAM and
VEGF were assayed by RT-PCR. The results showed that the PFTBA-enriched
fibrin hydrogel was able to promote cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation under hypoxic conditions. Interestingly, PFTBA applied through the
fibrin hydrogel dramatically enhanced the
mRNA of
BDNF,
NGF,
GDNF, N-CAM and
VEGF under hypoxic condition. These findings highlight the possibility of enhancing nerve regeneration in cellular nerve grafts through PFTBA increased neurotropic secretion in SCs.