MXene Film-Mediated Wireless Magnetoelectric Stimulation to Promote Neuronal Differentiation in Spinal Cord Injury Neural Stem Cell Therapy

Abstract

Spinal cord injury leads to neuronal necrosis. Owing to the limitations of neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult body, spinal cord injury is difficult to repair. Seeding NSCs onto conductive materials can promote their differentiation under the influence of electrical stimulation, which may help in treating a spinal cord injury. However, owing to the need for external wiring and power sources, these clinical treatments are difficult to implement. In this study, biodegradable MXene materials are proposed for in situ wireless magnetoelectric signal generation on MXene films under a rotating magnetic field to stimulate the neuronal differentiation of NSCs. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the electrical signals generated on the surface of MXenes can promote the differentiation of NSCs into neurons and enhance neuronal maturation, leading to the production of electrophysiological signals. Furthermore, implanting “living materials” assembled with NSCs into a spinal cord injury model, driven by a magnetic field, can achieve rapid spinal cord injury repair within 28 days. This magnetoelectric stimulation, coupled with transplanted stem cells/conductive biomaterial complex systems, should be easily adaptable to spinal cord injury regeneration applications and offer immense potential for clinical trials.