[Preliminary study of the facial nerve regeneration in the chamber: the influence of myelin basic protein].
OBJECTIVE
To study the role of exogenous myelin basic protein(MBP) in neural repairment.


METHODS
Adult New Zealand rabbits were employed in vivo preparation. A 12 microL nerve growth chamber was created by suturing the proximal and distal stumps of a transected facial never (FN) trunk into a tube. The regenerated nerves within the chambers were dissected and fixed for histological studies with light microscope at 4, 6 and 8 weeks respectively following the surgery.


RESULTS
Morphological analysis of nerves showed no difference between the MBP and control group in the size of the regeneration FN within the chambers, diameters of myelinated axons, thickness of myelin sheath and number of myelin axons grew into the distal end of chamber at 4 weeks. At 6 and 8 weeks after operation, the MBP group showed a more mature-appearance regenerative nerve comparing to control group. Especially, the enhancement of maturation in the regeneration axons was very noticeable at 6 weeks.


CONCLUSIONS
The study showed that pharmacological administration of exogenous MBP within a chamber at the time of entubational nerve repair enhances regeneration of myelinated axons across the sectioned ends of FN.
Luo
W
W
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, Chongqing 400010, China. wenlong.1@263.net
Lin
D
D
Li
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000473:pathology; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000473:pathology; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D011817:Rabbits
D004676:Myelin Basic Protein