Effect of Nerve Growth Factor on Nerve Allograft by Ultra-low Temperature Cryotherapy

Objective To study the effect of nerve growth factor(NGF)on nerve allograft by ultra-low temperature cryotherapy.Methods Thirty-five male Wistar rats were used in this study.Five of them were selected as donors.Their bilateral sciatic nerves were taken out and cryopreserved in-196℃ liquid nitrogen for three weeks.The other thirty rats were randomly divided into three groups,i.e.group A(cold preservation of nerve allograft),group B(cold preservation of nerve allograft with NGF slow-releasing film)and group C(autograft).Twelve weeks after operation,results were evaluated by morphology,histology,ultrastructure etc.Results The acute reject reaction was not found after operation.Histology and ultrastructure results indicated that nerve regeneration in group B and C was significantly superior to group A.Conclusion Application of NGF slow-releasing film to allograft nerve by ultra-low temperature cryotherapy can accelerate nerve regeneration effectively.