Channeled scaffolds implanted in adult rat brain.

Scaffolds with aligned channels based on acrylate copolymers, which had previously demonstrated good com- patibility with neural progenitor cells were studied as coloniz- able structures both in vitro with neural progenitor cells and in vivo, implanted without cells in two different locations, in the cortical plate of adult rat brains and close to the subven- tricular zone. In vitro, neuroprogenitors colonize the scaffold and differentiate into neurons and glia within its channels. When implanted in vivo immunohistochemical analysis by confocal microscopy for neural and endothelial cells markers demonstrated that the scaffolds maintained continuity with the surrounding neural tissue and wer…