Abstract
We investigated the effectiveness of artificial silk-based nerve graft in nerve recovery and in helping regain motor functionality in rats. The purpose of this study is to test two questions: (1) Can nerve growth after transection be improved using artificial nerve guides? (2) Does nerve recovery have an impact on the walking patterns of the rat during the recovery period? Rats underwent sciatic nerve sectioning followed by reconstructive surgery. In these experiments, the sciatic nerve was substituted with an artificial silk guide that was biofunctionalized with growth factors and tested in vitro, as described previously. Three-dimensional motion capture and histological analyses were performed. After recovery periods of three and six months, the rats’ kinematics were analyzed during an over-ground walking task to evaluate the nerve recovery progress. The functional nerve recovery showed significant differences between the operated and non-operated sides of the rat, but no differences in their walking patterns during the recovery period. The histological analysis showed the reorganization of nerve tissue into the nerve as well as the presence of multiple neuronal extensions. Here, we have shown histological improvement in the absence of functional restoration after sciatic nerve transection and reconstruction at six months.
Highlights
Locomotion and posture are based on muscular actions that are controlled by the nervous system (Canu et al 2005)
We developed a new multifunctional silk-based material to support and promote peripheral nervous system (PNS) nerve regeneration in a rat model which has already satisfied in vitro biocompatibility test
All eight operated rats were able to perform the motion capture sessions, and the kinematics of hind limbs during the walking task were recorded at three months and six months after surgery
Summary
Locomotion and posture are based on muscular actions that are controlled by the nervous system (Canu et al 2005). Once the peripheral nervous system (PNS) is damaged, the control of the movement is affected and injuries, e.g. nerve liaison, result in a loss of motor function (Nakamura et al 1996; Bareyre et al 2009). The repair of peripheral nerve lesions, especially after the loss of a full segment of the nerve, remains a challenge in reconstructive surgery (Biazar, Khorasani, Montazeri et al 2010; Biazar, Khorasani, Zaeifi 2010). When a peripheral nerve is sectioned, the axonal segment distal to the lesion site undergoes Wallerian degeneration (Waller 1850; Stoll et al 2002), while the proximal segment is able to regenerate axonal sprouts that can eventually re-establish motor and sensory nerve function. One of the major challenges in regenerative neurobiology is to design suitable biomimetic nerve guides and multiple techniques have been developed to design fibrous scaffolds as tissue substitutes (Marquardt & Sakiyama-Elbert 2013)
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