title: Nanofibrous nerve conduits for repair of 30-mm-long sciatic nerve defects.
abstract: It has been confirmed that nanofibrous poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) nerve conduit can promote peripheral nerve regeneration in rats. However, its efficiency in repair of over 30-mm-long sciatic nerve defects needs to be assessed. In this study, we used a nanofibrous poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) nerve conduit to bridge a 30-mm-long gap in the rat sciatic nerve. At 4 months after nerve conduit implantation, regenerated nerves were cally observed and histologically assessed. In the nanofibrous graft, the rat sciatic nerve trunk had been reconstructed by restoration of nerve continuity and formation of myelinated nerve fiber. There were Schwann cells and glial cells in the regenerated nerves. Masson's trichrome staining showed that there were no pathological changes in the size and structure of gastrocnemius muscle cells on the operated side of rats. These findings suggest that nanofibrous poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) nerve conduit is suitable for repair of long-segment sciatic nerve defects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterial Engineering, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran.
authors.forename: Esmaeil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Biazar
authors.affiliation: Student Research Committee, Proteomics Research Center, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; Department of Tissue Engineering, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Saeed Heidari
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Keshel
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran.
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pouya
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran.
authors.forename: Hadi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rad
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran.
authors.forename: Melody Omrani
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Nava
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medical Sciences, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azarbakhsh
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medical Sciences, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Shirin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hooshmand
keywords: artificial conduit; grants-supported paper; histology; macroscopic observation; nanofiber; neural regeneration; neuroregeneration; peripheral nerve injury; poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate); sciatic nerve