Comparison of results between chitosan hollow tube and autologous nerve graft in reconstruction of peripheral nerve defect: An experimental study

Abstract

Object: This study evaluated a chitosan tube for regeneration of the injured peripheral nerve in a rodent transected sciatic nerve model in comparison to autologous nerve graft repair. Methods: Chitosan hollow tube was used to bridge a 10-mm gap between the proximal and distal ends in 11 rats. In the control group, an end-to-end coaptation of 10-mm long autologous nerve graft was performed in 10 rats for nerve reconstruction. Results: SFI showed an insignificant advantage to the autologous group both at 30 days (P 5 0.177) and at 90 days post procedure (P 5 0.486). Somato-sensory evoked potentials (SSEP) and compound muscle action potentials (CMAP) tests showed similar results between chitosan tube (group 1) and autologous (group 2) groups with no statistically significant differences. Both groups presented the same pattern of recovery with 45% in group 1 and 44% in group 2 (P 5 0.96) showing SSEP activity at 30 days. At 90 days most rats showed SSEP activity (91% vs.80% respectively, P 5 0.46). The CMAP also demonstrated no statistically significant dif-ferences in latency (1.39 ms in group 1 vs. 1.63 ms in group 2; P 5 0.48) and amplitude (6.28 mv vs. 6.43 mv respectively; P 5 0.8). Ultra-sonography demonstrated tissue growth inside the chitosan tube. Gastrocnemius muscle weight showed no statistically significant difference. Histomorphometry of the distal sciatic nerve, 90 days post reconstructive procedure, showed similar number of myelinated fibers and size parameters in both groups (P _0.05). Conclusions: Chitosan hollow tube used for peripheral nerve reconstruction of rat sciatic nerve showed similar results in comparison to autologous nerve grafting. V C 00:000-000, 2015.

The role of chitin and chitosan in peripheral nerve reconstruction

“…13 Experimental studies have resulted in launching a chitosan tube onto the market for clinical use: Reaxon ® Nerve Guide. 21,26 It allows the repair of short nerve defects, when the nerve diameter does not exceed 6.0 mm. The repair of nerve defects in nerves with a larger diameter still constitutes a challenge.…”

Local Administration of Methylprednisolone Laden Hydrogel Enhances Functional Recovery of Transected Sciatic Nerve in Rat

“…The procedures were carried out based on the guidelines of the Ethics Committee of the International Association for the Study of pain [15]. The University Research Council approved all experiments.…”

Peripheral Nerve Reconstruction Using Enriched Chitosan Conduits

“…Female Wistar rats were brought to the vivarium 2 weeks prior to the surgery and housed two per cage with a 12-h light/dark cycle, with free access to food and water. The study was conducted on 45 female Wistar rats (weight 200-250 g), using an experimental model for producing a complete peripheral nerve injury with massive nerve defect that has been recently described [22].…”