title: Tissue specificity in rat peripheral nerve regeneration through combined skeletal muscle and vein conduit grafts.
abstract: Diffusible factors from the distal stumps of transected peripheral nerves exert a neurotropic effect on regenerating nerves in vivo (specificity). This morphological study was designed to investigate the existence of tissue specificity in peripheral nerve fiber regeneration through a graft of vein filled with fresh skeletal muscle. This tubulization technique demonstrated experimental and clinical results similar to those obtained with traditional autologous nerve grafts. Specifically, we used Y-shaped grafts to assess the orientation pattern of regenerating axons in the distal stump tissue. Animal models were divided into four experimental groups. The proximal part of the Y-shaped conduit was sutured to a severed tibial nerve in all experiments. The two distal stumps were sutured to different targets: group A to two intact nerves (tibial and peroneal), group B to an intact nerve and an unvascularized tendon, group C to an intact nerve and a vascularized tendon, and group D to a nerve graft and an unvascularized tendon. Morphological evaluation by light and electron microscopy was conducted in the distal forks of the Y-shaped tube. Data showed that almost all regenerating nerve fibers spontaneously oriented towards the nerve tissue (attached or not to the peripheral innervation field), showing a good morphological pattern of regeneration in both the early and late phases of regeneration. When the distal choice was represented by a tendon (vascularized or not), very few nerve fibers were detected in the corresponding distal fork of the Y-shaped graft. These results show that, using the muscle-vein-combined grafting technique, regenerating axons are able to correctly grow and orientate within the basement membranes of the graft guided by the neurotropic lure of the distal nerve stump.
authors.affiliation: Gruppo Interdivisionale di Microchirurgia (G.I.M), Ospedale C.T.O., Turin, Italy. tospilu@hotmail.com
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tos
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Battiston
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Geuna
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Giacobini-Robecchi
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lanzetta
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Owen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018523:Tropism