シュワン細胞
Collagen is the major component of the extracellular matrix and has been widely used in nerve regeneration and repair. Due to its smooth microgeometry and permeability, collagen gels are able to allow diffusion of molecules through them. Collagen resorption rates are able to be controlled by crosslinking collagen with polypoxy compounds. Additionally, collagen type I/III scaffolds have demonstrated good biocompatibility and are able to promote Schwann cell proliferation. However, collagen conduits filled with Schwann cells used to bridge nerve gaps in rats have shown surprisingly unsuccessful nerve regeneration compared to nerve autografts. This is because biocompatibility is not the only factor necessary for successful nerve regeneration; other parameters such as inner diameter, inner microtopography, porosity, wall thickness, and Schwann cell seeding density will need to be examined in future studies in order to improve the results obtained by these collagen I/III gels.