Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Autologous nerve transplantation is the most common method for repair of peripheral nerve injury.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of chemically acellularized nerve allografts for repair of rat S1 nerve defects and to search the ideal methods and materials for repair of peripheral nerve injury.
METHODS: SD rat S1 nerve was taken and chemically acellularized to remove the immunogenic component. 1 cm long incision was made on the right S1 in SD rats and bridged with the nerve allograft.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared with prior to surgery, the urinary leakage site of the detrusor muscle was lowered, the maximum volume and compliance of the bladder were significantly increased (P < 0.05) at 8 weeks after surgery. Neurofilament staining showed that on the experimental (right) side, neural anastomotic stoma was stained green, nerve fibers were orderly distributed, and regenerated axons grew towards distal nerve; on the left side, nerve morphology was normal, nerve fibers were orderly arranged, and axons did not grow toward distal nerve. These findings suggest that chemically acellularized nerve allografts with obviously decreased antigenicity can repair peripheral nerve injury in high grade mammals.