title: Human amniotic epithelial cell transplantation for the repair of injured brachial plexus nerve: evaluation of nerve viscoelastic properties.
abstract: The transplantation of embryonic stem cells can effectively improve the creeping strength of nerves near an injury site in animals. Amniotic epithelial cells have similar biological properties as embryonic stem cells; therefore, we hypothesized that transplantation of amniotic epithelial cells can repair peripheral nerve injury and recover the creeping strength of the brachial plexus nerve. In the present study, a brachial plexus injury model was established in rabbits using the C6 root avulsion method. A suspension of human amniotic epithelial cells was repeatedly injected over an area 4.0 mm lateral to the cephal and caudal ends of the C6 brachial plexus injury site (1 × 10(6) cells/mL, 3 μL/injection, 25 injections) immediately after the injury. The results showed that the decrease in stress and increase in strain at 7,200 seconds in the injured rabbit C6 brachial plexus nerve were mitigated by the cell transplantation, restoring the viscoelastic stress relaxation and creep properties of the brachial plexus nerve. The forepaw functions were also significantly improved at 26 weeks after injury. These data indicate that transplantation of human amniotic epithelial cells can effectively restore the mechanical properties of the brachial plexus nerve after injury in rabbits and that viscoelasticity may be an important index for the evaluation of brachial plexus injury in animals.
authors.affiliation: Jinan Maternity and Child Care Hospital, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Shandong Corps Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Jinan Maternity and Child Care Hospital, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Ya-Jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Jinan Maternity and Child Care Hospital, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luo
keywords: brachial plexus injury; creep; forepaw function; human amniotic epithelial cells; nerve regeneration; neural regeneration; stress relaxation; viscoelasticity