Modulation of peripheral nerve regeneration: a tissue-engineering approach. The role of amnion tube nerve conduit across a 1-centimeter nerve gap. 2000

J Mohammad, and J Shenaq, and E Rabinovsky, and S Shenaq
Division of Plastic Surgery, at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA. drjamal@usa.net

A new type of a biodegradable nerve graft conduit material, the amnion tube, has been developed in our laboratory. To test the tube in the peripheral nerve regeneration process, it was initially applied across a 1-cm sciatic nerve gap in rats and was compared with other nerve conduit materials. We used male Sprague-Dawley rats as our animal model. The experiment included 66 rats that were randomly assigned into five groups: autograft (n = 17), amnion tube (n = 19), silicone tube (n = 20), no repair (n = 7), and sham group (n = 3). The process of peripheral nerve regeneration was evaluated at 2, 4, 10, and 17 weeks following injury and repair by using morphologic and functional assessments of the outcome of nerve regeneration in each animal. Nerve regeneration across the amnion tube nerve conduit was comparable with that seen in autograft and superior to that of the silicone group. A uniform nerve tissue was seen filling and crossing the amnion conduit, and the regenerated nerve from the proximal stump reached the distal end and was undifferentiated from the normal nerve tissues. At 4 months, the amnion tube biodegraded and no longer could be identified and differentiated from the nerve tissues. The amnion tube animal group showed a number of axons very close to that in the nerve autograft group (37,157 versus 33,054). Functional recovery at a 2- to 4-week interval was significantly statistically higher only in the amnion tube animal group (p = 0.01). However, the improvement disappeared between 10 and 17 weeks. In conclusion, the amnion tube is a potential ideal nerve conduit material secondary to its unique characteristics: it contains important neurotropic factors, is biodegradable, provokes a very weak immune response, is semiflexible, is readily available, and is easily manufactured into different sizes and diameters.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D009416 Nerve Regeneration Renewal or physiological repair of damaged nerve tissue. Nerve Tissue Regeneration,Nervous Tissue Regeneration,Neural Tissue Regeneration,Nerve Tissue Regenerations,Nervous Tissue Regenerations,Neural Tissue Regenerations,Regeneration, Nerve,Regeneration, Nerve Tissue,Regeneration, Nervous Tissue,Regeneration, Neural Tissue,Tissue Regeneration, Nerve,Tissue Regeneration, Nervous,Tissue Regeneration, Neural
D000650 Amnion The innermost membranous sac that surrounds and protects the developing embryo which is bathed in the AMNIOTIC FLUID. Amnion cells are secretory EPITHELIAL CELLS and contribute to the amniotic fluid. Amniotic Membrane,Amnions,Amniotic Membranes,Membrane, Amniotic,Membranes, Amniotic
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001698 Biomedical Engineering Application of principles and practices of engineering science to biomedical research and health care. Clinical Engineering,Engineering, Clinical,Engineering, Biomedical
D017207 Rats, Sprague-Dawley A strain of albino rat used widely for experimental purposes because of its calmness and ease of handling. It was developed by the Sprague-Dawley Animal Company. Holtzman Rat,Rats, Holtzman,Sprague-Dawley Rat,Rats, Sprague Dawley,Holtzman Rats,Rat, Holtzman,Rat, Sprague-Dawley,Sprague Dawley Rat,Sprague Dawley Rats,Sprague-Dawley Rats
D051381 Rats The common name for the genus Rattus. Rattus,Rats, Laboratory,Rats, Norway,Rattus norvegicus,Laboratory Rat,Laboratory Rats,Norway Rat,Norway Rats,Rat,Rat, Laboratory,Rat, Norway,norvegicus, Rattus
D017933 Peripheral Nervous System The nervous system outside of the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system has autonomic and somatic divisions. The autonomic nervous system includes the enteric, parasympathetic, and sympathetic subdivisions. The somatic nervous system includes the cranial and spinal nerves and their ganglia and the peripheral sensory receptors. Nervous System, Peripheral,Nervous Systems, Peripheral,Peripheral Nervous Systems,System, Peripheral Nervous,Systems, Peripheral Nervous

Related Publications

J Mohammad, and J Shenaq, and E Rabinovsky, and S Shenaq
February 2001, Plastic and reconstructive surgery,
J Mohammad, and J Shenaq, and E Rabinovsky, and S Shenaq
January 2000, ASAIO journal (American Society for Artificial Internal Organs : 1992),
J Mohammad, and J Shenaq, and E Rabinovsky, and S Shenaq
January 2009, Microsurgery,
J Mohammad, and J Shenaq, and E Rabinovsky, and S Shenaq
June 2018, Acta biomaterialia,
J Mohammad, and J Shenaq, and E Rabinovsky, and S Shenaq
January 2013, Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM,
J Mohammad, and J Shenaq, and E Rabinovsky, and S Shenaq
August 1986, Journal of neurocytology,
J Mohammad, and J Shenaq, and E Rabinovsky, and S Shenaq
January 2023, Cells, tissues, organs,
J Mohammad, and J Shenaq, and E Rabinovsky, and S Shenaq
January 2013, Journal of biomedical materials research. Part A,
J Mohammad, and J Shenaq, and E Rabinovsky, and S Shenaq
January 2021, Frontiers in neurology,
J Mohammad, and J Shenaq, and E Rabinovsky, and S Shenaq
December 1997, Journal of neurosurgery,
Copied contents to your clipboard!