title: Schwann cell strip for peripheral nerve repair.
abstract: Many strategies have been investigated to provide an ideal substitute to treat a nerve gap injury. Initially, silicone conduits were used and more recently conduits fabricated from natural materials such as poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) showed good results but still have their limitations. Surgically, a new concept optimising harvested autologous nerve graft has been introduced as the single fascicle method. It has been shown that a single fascicle repair of nerve grafting is successful. We investigated a new approach using a PHB strip seeded with Schwann cells to mimic a small nerve fascicle. Schwann cells were attached to the PHB strip using diluted fibrin glue and used to bridge a 10-mm sciatic nerve gap in rats. Comparison was made with a group using conventional PHB conduit tubes filled with Schwann cells and fibrin glue. After 2 weeks, the nerve samples were harvested and investigated for axonal and Schwann cell markers. PGP9.5 immunohistochemistry showed a superior nerve regeneration distance in the PHB strip group versus the PHB tube group (> 10 mm, crossed versus 3.17+/- 0.32 mm respectively, P<0.05) as well as superior Schwann cell intrusion (S100 staining) from proximal (> 10 mm, crossed versus 3.40+/- 0.36 mm, P<0.01) and distal (> 10 mm, crossed versus 2.91+/- 0.31 mm, P<0.001) ends. These findings suggest a significant advantage of a strip in rapidly connecting a nerve gap lesion and imply that single fascicle nerve grafting is advantageous for nerve repair in rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand, Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. daniel.kalbermatten@bluewin.ch
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Kalbermatten
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Erba
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mahay
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wiberg
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pierer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Terenghi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015718:Fibrin Tissue Adhesive / Q000627:therapeutic use; D048091:Guided Tissue Regeneration / Q000379:methods*; D006885:Hydroxybutyrates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D011091:Polyesters / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000091402:Prohibitins; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014014:Tissue Adhesives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D015718:Fibrin Tissue Adhesive; D006885:Hydroxybutyrates; D011091:Polyesters; D000091402:Prohibitins; D014014:Tissue Adhesives; C000717332:Phb protein, rat; C003182:poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates