[Transfection of agrin gene on the recovery of muscle function after free neurovascular muscle transfer].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of transfection of agrin gene on the recovery of muscle function after a free neurovascular muscle transfer.


METHODS
The electrical gene transfection was performed when the gracilis muscle of the SD rat was completed free neurovascular transfer. The experimental group was treated with pCS2+ -agrin, the group with plasmid pCS2+ as the negative control and the group with normal saline as the frank control. The muscle function, expression of neural agrin and the junctional nAChR number was measured after the operation.


RESULTS
At 4, 5 and 10 weeks postoperatively, the pCS2+ -agrin group was significantly better than the control groups in muscle function (P < 0.05 ). The immunohistochemical staining showed an increasing deposition of the agrin protein near the endplate at 1 and 5 weeks after the operation, but decreasing remarkably to the level of control groups at 10 weeks postoperatively. The pCS2+ -agrin group was significantly more than the control groups in junctional nAChR number at every points of the time postoperatively.


CONCLUSIONS
Transfection of agrin gene in the transferred muscle may increase the early recovery of muscle function.
Zhang
Ying-fan
YF
Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University of PLA, Shanghai 200003, China.
Jiang
Hua
H
Lin
Zi-hao
ZH
Cai
Zai-long
ZL
Wu
Bao-jin
BJ
D018171:Agrin / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000637:transplantation*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020127:Recovery of Function; D014162:Transfection
D018171:Agrin; D009124:Muscle Proteins