title: [Repairing peripheral nerve defects by tissue engineering techniques:an experimental study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a novel effective substitute material or technique to repair peripheral nerve gap.
  
  
  METHODS
  We inoculated expanded Schwann cells (SCs) at re-arranged bio-absorbable polymer polyglycolic acid (PGA) fiber and incubated for two weeks, then we developed a novel tissue-engineered scaffolds. The scaffolds were used as cellular isografts to bridge 15 mm long gap of sciatic nerve in inbred strains of Wistar rats. In an autologous and pure PGA fiber control group, the same surgical procedure was used. Evaluation included general observation, electromyographic examination, muscle measurement, and histological observation of serial sections at 12 weeks after surgery. The total number and density of reinnervation and thickness of myelin sheath was measured by computerized image analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SCs put out a long and thin prominence and migrated along the PGA fibers in spirality or parallel when they divided and finally rank into a cell-chain formation similar to Büngner's band. TEM/SEM and immunohistochemical survey demonstrated that the SCs at PGA fiber also secreted a great deal of ECMs included laminin, which play a very important role in peripheral nerve regeneration. Non-tubular scaffold comprised SCs and laminin (LN) channel in three-dimensional longitudinal rank. Animal transplantation study indicated the sensory and motor functional results of hindlimbs of experimental group rats reached to similar level of those found in nerve autograft control group. The number of reinnervation in the experimental group rats was slightly fewer than that in nerve autograft control group; but the axonal density was just reversal between the two groups because of a large area ischemic necrosis in the center of nerve autografts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This new paradigm offers a potential solution to repairing a long gap of peripheral nerve.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai 200011, China.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005260:Female; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000601:surgery*; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid