Abstract
Hudson's optimized chemical processing method is the most commonly used chemical method to prepare acellular nerve scaffolds for the reconstruction of large peripheral nerve defects. However, residual myelin attached to the basal laminar tube has been observed in acellular nerve scaffolds prepared using Hudson's method. Here, we describe a novel method of producing acellular nerve scaffolds that eliminates residual myelin more effectively than Hudson's method through the use of various detergent combinations of sulfobetaine-10, sulfobetaine-16, Triton X-200, sodium deoxycholate, and peracetic acid. In addition, the efficacy of this new scaffold in repairing a 1.5 cm defect in the sciatic nerve of rats was examined. The modified method produced a higher degree of demyelination than Hudson's method, resulting in a minor host immune response in vivo and providing an improved environment for nerve regeneration and, consequently, better functional recovery. A morphological study showed that the number of regenerated axons in the modified group and Hudson group did not differ. However, the autograft and modified groups were more similar in myelin sheath regeneration than the autograft and Hudson groups. These results suggest that the modified method for producing a demyelinated acellular scaffold may aid functional recovery in general after nerve defects.
Highlights
The current gold standard of treatment for peripheral nerve defects remains autologous nerve transplantation [1], but the application of this approach in clinical practice is hindered by limited sources and poor individual matching [2,3,4]
The peripheral nerve was free of myelin in the demyelinated acellular nerve scaffolds (dANSs), whereas Hudson’s acellular nerve scaffolds (hANSs) showed myelin that had been slightly loosened from the raw nerve
transmission electron microscope (TEM) images of hANSs and dANSs (Figures 2(d), 2(e), and 2(f)) showed that the dANSs were free of myelin and consisted of an empty basal laminal tube, whereas myelin fragments remained in the basal laminal tube in the hANSs
Summary
The current gold standard of treatment for peripheral nerve defects remains autologous nerve transplantation [1], but the application of this approach in clinical practice is hindered by limited sources and poor individual matching [2,3,4]. Sondell et al reported a simple method for the preparation of decellularized nerve scaffolds using sciatic nerve tissue treated with Triton X-100 and sodium deoxycholate [9]. This method removed nerve cells and myelin to reduce the immune response to the nerve xenografts. This method did not completely preserve the active components of the graft, such as the basal laminar tube in the nerve tissue and other structures, resulting in a poor repair efficacy for the treatment of nerve injuries [10,11,12,13]. Hudson’s method has gradually become the most commonly used method for the preparation of acellular peripheral nerve scaffolds
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