title: Evaluation of electronspun silk fibroin-based transplants used for facial nerve repair.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study whether regenerated electrospun silk fibroin (SF) nanofibers as nerve conduits could improve nerve regeneration microenvironment and induce the facial nerve regeneration of Sprague-Dawley rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electrospun SF nanofibers were prepared to bridge a 5-mm facial nerve defect in Sprague-Dawley rats. Three months after implantation, a comprehensive morphologic and functional evaluation was performed by electrophysiology, histology, Fluorogold retrograde tracing, and transmission electron micrograph.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SF nanofiber tube exhibited good biocompatibility in vivo, and no distinct regional inflammation response and scar formation was observed. After 3 months of operation, the morphologic and functional investigation has shown a positive evaluation on the nerve repair outcome elicited by SF nanofiber graft and autograft.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Electrospun SF grafts could promote nerve regeneration after facial nerve injury and become a potential possibility of newly developed nerve grafts as an alternative of autografts to peripheral nerve regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Aijun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Baoqi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Huanxiang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lan
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000473:pathology; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D012831:Bombyx; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery*; D005349:Fibroins; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D057139:Nanofibers; D043942:Nanotubes; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D047011:Silk; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D047011:Silk; D005349:Fibroins