title: Prolonged cold-preservation of nerve allografts.
abstract: The goal of this study was to determine the effect of varying durations of cold-preservation on the immunogenicity of nerve allografts and their subsequent ability to facilitate neuroregeneration across a short nerve gap. Allografts preserved for 1, 4, and 7 weeks were compared to untreated allografts and isografts. There was a shift from an interferon-gamma-producing cellular response (untreated allografts) to an absence of response (7-week cold-preserved allografts and isografts). There were no detectable alloantibodies by flow cytometry. Histomorphometry distal to the graft showed robust regeneration in the isograft and 7-week cold-preserved groups when compared to the untreated allograft group. Increasing duration of cold-preservation diminished the cellular immune response. This cold-preservation does not preclude subsequent nerve regeneration across a short nerve graft. Prolonged cold-preservation of nerve allograft tissue could serve as a means to produce unlimited graft material for use in peripheral nerve reconstruction.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Box 8328, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Ida K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jaramillo
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Susan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Rickman
authors.forename: Thalachallour
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mohanakumar
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Mackinnon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D015925:Cryopreservation; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000276:immunology*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D008124:Locomotion; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007518:Isoantibodies; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma