[An experimental study on the effect of laminin in vivo on promoting regeneration of axons].
Laminin has been shown to exert a stimulatory effect on neurite outgrowth in vitro, but this biological activity in vivo has not been clarified. The objective of this study was to examine the hypothesis that laminin can stimulate axonal regeneration in vivo. Intubation repair of the rat sciatic nerve was used as a model and the possibility that the maximum distance that axons can regenerate through a tubular nerve guide might be increased by the addition of laminin to the inside of the nerve guide was investigated. Most of the rats with the laminin-treated nerve guide displayed excellent axonal bridges across the 12-mm and 20-mm nerve gaps, while none of the rats with an untreated nerve guide had a developed bridge. Histological and electrophysiological findings supported successful long-term results. These findings suggest that laminin significantly hastens axonal regeneration in vivo.
Nakao
Y
Y
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D003584:Cytological Techniques; D007797:Laminin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
D007797:Laminin