Production of BDNF doped chitosan tubes and its usage on facial nerve injuries

Chitosan is a chain-structured polysaccharide obtained by deacetylation of the chitin. Because of its antibacterial properties, being biocompatible, renewable, and natural polymer, it has been a widely used in many fields. Especially its biocompatibility and biodegradability has increased the use of chitosan in the fields of cosmetics, medicine, biomedical and bioengineering. It has started to use instead of traditionally used metal and composite-based implant materials. The facial nerve is the seventh pair from the skull nerves, which exits between the pons and the spinal. It controls the facial expressions, and transfer of the impulse of taste. Facial nerve injuries are frequently encountered during head and neck trauma. Fully or partially failure of this nerve because of injuries is defined as Facial Nerve Paralysis and this disease causes psychological, aesthetic, and economic problems. The best known and the most common method for treating and repairing cuts or breaks after nerve traumas is nerve coaptation. However, despite advances in microsurgery and neurotology, functional recovery after facial nerve damage and coaptation is not at the desired level. In this study, biodegradable nanofibers were produced from chitosan polymers by electro spinning method and hollow tubes were produced from these fibres by using the most homogeneous distribution, nonwoven fibre parameters. The produced tubes were doped with the protein structure, BDNF molecule, and placed between the two ends of the transverse section of the main body of the facial nerve, and the effect of BDNF doped chitosan tubes on axonal regeneration and functional recovery was investigated.