title: Joint use of a chitosan/PLGA scaffold and MSCs to bridge an extra large gap in dog sciatic nerve.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tissue-engineered nerve grafts (TENGs) constitute a promising alternative to nerve autografts that are recognized as the gold standard for surgical repair of peripheral nerve gaps.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the feasibility of using TENGs for bridging extra large peripheral nerve gaps in large animals.
  
  
  METHODS
  TENGs were constructed by incorporating autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into a neural scaffold that consisted of a chitosan conduit inserted with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) fibers. A 60-mm-long sciatic nerve gap in dogs was bridged by TENGs, chitosan/PLGA scaffolds, or nerve autografts. At 12 months postsurgery, behavioral analysis, electrophysiology, retrograde fluorogold tracing, and histological examination were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The outcomes of TENGs were similar to those of autografts and better than those of scaffolds alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Introduction of autologous MSCs to a chitosan/PLGA scaffold improved the repair and rehabilitation of a large gap after peripheral nerve injury in dogs. Autologous MSCs may be a source of support cells for neural tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: Nantong University, Nantong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chengbin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Yumin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Xiaosong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001853:Bone Marrow; D048271:Chitosan / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004285:Dogs; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries / Q000601:surgery; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000293:injuries / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D016378:Tissue Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019344:Lactic Acid; D048271:Chitosan