Effects Of GDNF And VEGF Modified Artificial Nerve On Sciatic Nerve Defects In Rats

The study aimed to construct a biological scaffold combined by plasmids encoding GDNF and VEGF and acellular nerve conduits prepared by chemical extraction, and, to explore the responses and effects of scaffolds in rats with sciatic nerve deficit. It would lay a foundation for a new biological nerve guide to peripheral nerve defect.Part 1 Construction of acellular nerve scaffoldObjective: To construct acellular nerve scaffold and evaluate the biological features after implantation into the sciatic nerve gap of rat.Methods: The sciatic nerves were collected from Sprague-Dawley rats weighed from 450g to 500g. The acellular nerve scaffold were prepared by chemical extraction. After sterilization by gamma irradiation, the morphology of the acellular nerve segments was revealed by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The porus diameter and porosity were explored by image analysis. The 10mm rat sciatic nerve defects were repaired by ECM to evaluate the biocompatibility. The rats were sacrificed at 3days, 1week, 4weeks after implantation. Scaffolds were removed and histological changes were determined.Results: We found that extraction with the detergents Triton X-100 and deoxycholate resulted in acellular nerve segments with preserved basal lamina tubes. The cellular components were almost removed and immunogenicity was decreased. Such grafts when allografted between two...