In the study reported here we have examined the nerve regeneration that occurs over a 25-mm gap using a novel biodegradable nerve guide tube. The tube was a composite of polyglycolic acid (PGA) mesh coated with collagen which was filled with neurotrophic factors. The left sciatic nerve of ten adult cats was dissected. The stumps were connected by the tube, and fixed gap. Histological examinations carried out 4-16 months after implantation of the tube revealed regeneration of well vascularized nerve tissue. Regeneration of both myelinated, unmyelinated axons and Schwann cells was confirmed by electron microscopy 5 months after surgery. Following injection of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into a site peripheral to the regenerated segment of the sciatic nerves, motoneurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord, afferent terminals in the medial portion of the dorsal column of the medulla oblongata, and sensory afferent nerve terminals in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord were labelled. Electrophysiological examinations revealed restoration of evoked electromyograms and sensory evoked potentials (SEPs) recorded from the cerebral cortex as well as the spinal cord. We also found that some of the regenerated motor axons exhibited branching in the regenerated segments. In two cases, a single motoneuronal axon from the regenerated side projected to both flexors and extensors, simultaneously. Our results indicate that the PGA-collagen composite tube is a promising tool for use as a nerve guide tube in peripheral nerve regeneration.

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) alters myocardial gene expression, resulting in myocyte hypertrophy, through activation of TGF-beta-activated kinase (TAK1), a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) family. We hypothesized that the TGF-beta1-TAK1-p38 MAPK pathway might be activated during ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). One, 3, 7, and 14 days after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery, noninfarcted left ventricular tissue samples were obtained. Protein levels as well as mRNA levels of the signaling pathway, TGF-beta1, TGF-beta-receptors, and TAK1 increased in the noninfarcted myocardium in MI rats compared with sham-operated animals. Phosphorylation of MAPKK 3/6 (MKK3/6) and p38 MAPK, the downstream targets of TAK1, was also increased in the noninfarcted region. Moreover, an in vitro kinase assay revealed that the activated TAK1 in the noninfarcted myocardium was capable of activating recombinant MKK3/6, suggesting a causative role of TAK1 in the remodeling process. The activation of the TGF-beta1-TAK1-p38 MAPK pathway paralleled the transcriptional upregulation of cardiac markers for ventricular hypertrophy, beta-myosin heavy chain and atrial natriuretic peptide. TAK1 was mainly localized to cardiomyocytes, whereas TGF-beta1 receptors were observed in vascular smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts as well as cardiomyocytes. Thus the TGF-beta1-TAK1-MKK3/6-p38 MAPK pathway in the cardiomyocytes of noninfarcted spared myocardium is activated after acute MI and may play an important role in ventricular hypertrophy and post-MI remodeling in rats.

Even in mature adult higher mammals, esophageal high-order structures can be regenerated provided that an adequate three-dimensional extracellular structure is put in place for a sufficient period.

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Use of a collagen sponge with a double-layered silicone tube was shown to be feasible even in the thorax and to allow the regenerated host tissue, consisting of the mucosa, glands, and lamina muscularis mucosae, to replace the esophageal gap.