title: Chitooligosaccharide Inhibits Scar Formation and Enhances Functional Recovery in a Mouse Model of Sciatic Nerve Injury.
abstract: Chitooligosaccharide (COS) has been shown to induce fibroblast apoptosis, indicating that it could be used as a material to inhibit scar formation. In the present study, we used a mouse model of sciatic nerve injury (SNI) to determine the role of COS in scar inhibition and functional recovery. The animals were divided into three groups: SNI, SNI + vehicle, and SNI + COS group. We performed a series of functional and histological examinations at ctrl, 0 min, 14 days, and 42 days, including behavioral recovery, percentage of regenerating axons, degree of scar formation, vascular changes, type I and type III collagen ratio, and percentage of demyelinated axons. The SNI + COS group exhibited better recovery of sensory and motor function and less scar formation. Two-photon microscopy showed that the percentage of regenerating axons was highest in the SNI + COS group at 14 and 42 days. Our results suggested that COS can inhibit scar formation and enhance functional recovery by inducing fibroblast death, altering the proportion of different vascular diameters, changing the ratio of type I/type III collagen, and reducing the percentage of demyelinated axons. COS might be a useful drug in the treatment of SNI to reduce scar formation, but additional research is required to clarify the relevant molecular pathways.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Hongping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lihai
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Zuguang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Jianrong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zijian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Qihua
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Guangping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Skirball Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA. Wenbiao.Gan@med.nyu.edu.
authors.forename: Wenbiao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China. pftang301@126.com.
authors.forename: Peifu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002686:Chitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D048271:Chitosan; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects*; D012018:Reflex / Q000187:drug effects; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000098:blood supply / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; C493484:oligochitosan; D002686:Chitin; D003094:Collagen; D048271:Chitosan
keywords: Chitooligosaccharide; Collagen; Functional recovery; In vivo imaging; Regenerating axons; Scar formation; Two-photon microscope