Journal
JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH PART A
Volume 100A, Issue 8, Pages 2139-2146Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.34088
Keywords
sciatic nerve; regeneration; PLGA; scaffold; microspheres; GDNF; NGF
Funding
- Department of Defense Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Mayo Clinic [W81XWH-08-2-0034-02C]
- Sundt Fellowship Mayo Clinic
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Addition of neural growth factors to bioengineered scaffolds may improve peripheral nerve regeneration. The aim of this study is to evaluate the short- and long term effect of microsphere delivered nerve growth factor (NGF) and glial cell derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in the 10 mm rat sciatic nerve gap. Eighty-four rats were assigned to seven groups (n = 6) at two endpoints (6 and 16 weeks): saline, saline NGF, saline NGF-microspheres, saline GDNF, saline GDNF-microspheres, saline blank microspheres, and autologous nerve graft. Total fascicular area and total number of myelinated fibers at mid-tube increased in all conduit groups between 6 and 16 weeks. Autologous, saline NGF-microsphere and saline GDNF-microsphere groups reached maximal histomorphometric values by 6 weeks (p < 0.05). Compound muscle action potentials returned after 6 weeks for the autologous graft and continued to increase to a level of 3.6 +/- 1.9 mV at endpoint. No significant differences were found between study groups as measured by ankle angle. These experiments show an initial beneficial effect of incorporation of NGF- or GDNF-microspheres in a PLGA 85/15 nerve conduit, since histomorphometric values reached their maximum by 6 weeks compared to control groups. These results do not yet extrapolate into improved electrophysiological or functional improvement. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2012.
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