An experimental study of repairing the peripheral nerve defects with tissue engineering artifical nerve

Objective To observe the effect of bridge a 1.5 cm sciatic nerve deficit by tissue en- gineering method as a rationale for future clinical application.Methods Sciatic nerve (2 cm) from 10 SD rats were pre-treated with glycerinate as non-cell allograft matrix.Schwann cell (Sc) were cultured,i- dentified and proliferated.40 SD rats,male,3-month-old,were divided into 4 groups at random (A,B, C and D,n=10).Deficits were bridged by glyeerinated nerve combined with injected cultured Scs in Group A;Deficits were bridged just by glycerinate treated sciatic nerve in Group B.Deficits were bridged by autograft nerve in Group C;whih no bridging operation were performed in Group D.12 weeks after the bridging,general status of the animals were observed,humid weight of triceps muscle of calf were meas- ured and histology study of the regenerated nerve were carried out.Results All 40 rats were evaluated in the study.All rats survived in the experiment.No foot ulceration was observed in group A,B and C,but 7 cases were found in group D.Atrophy of triceps muscle of calf were observed on the injured side in each group when compared with their counterparts from the uninjured side.No statistics difference was estab- lished in group A,B,and C at humid weight of triceps muscle of calf and parameters of electrophysiologic study.However statistics difference was established between A and C or B and D.Visible CMAP can be provocated in group A and C,while only low amplitude signals were recorded in group B and D.Regenera- ted axons passed through the whole graft in group A and C,but not in group B and D.Traumatic neurofi- bromas were observed in 6 rats in Group D.Conclusion Tissue engineered nerve can be used in repairing the defect of peripheral nerve and have satisfying repairing effect.