In recent years, conductive biomaterials have been widely used to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration. However, most biomaterials use electronic conductors to increase the conductivity of materials. As information carriers, electronic conductors always transmit discontinuous electrical signals, while biological systems essentially transmit continuous signals through ions. Herein, an ion-based conductive hydrogel was fabricated by simple copolymerization of the zwitterionic monomer sulfobetin methacrylate and hydroxyethyl methacrylate. Benefiting from the excellent mechanical stability, suitable electrical conductivity, and good cytocompatibility of the zwitterionic hydrogel, the Schwann cells cultured on the hydrogel could grow and proliferate better, and dorsal root ganglian had an increased neurite length. The zwitterionic hydrogel-based nerve guidance conduits were then implanted into a 10 mm sciatic nerve defect model in rats. Morphological analysis and electrophysiological data showed that the grafts achieved a regeneration effect close to that of the autologous nerve. Overall, our developed zwitterionic hydrogel facilitates efficient and efficacious peripheral nerve regeneration by mimicking the electrical and mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix and creating a suitable regeneration microenvironment, providing a new material reserve for the repair of peripheral nerve injury.
Keywords: conductive hydrogel; nerve guidance conduit; peripheral nerve injury; zwitterion.