Dynamic changes of ICAM-1 expression in peripheral nervous system following sciatic nerve injury

The injuries of the peripheral nerve are the results of trauma, disease, and surgical procedures that require section of peripheral nerves to gain access to the surgical site. Unlike elements of the central nervous system, peripheral nerves can regenerate when damaged. Recent studies provide evidence that intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is involved not only in inflammation, but also in cell recruitment during Wallerian degeneration after peripheral nerve injury. In our studies, two different injury models (crush and transect) for peripheral nerve regeneration were used. We investigated the dynamic changes of ICAM-1 expression in peripheral nervous system, including sciatic nerves and the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) following sciatic nerve injury. Double labeling demonstrated the presence of ICAM-1 within both Schwann cells and nerve blood vein endothelia cells in sciatic nerve after injury. In ipsilateral DRG, a few ICAM-1 signals were found in satellite cells, and ICAM-1 staining was mainly distributed in neuron. The results implied that ICAM-1 might be correlated with the function of Schwann cells about myelinogenesis and nerve regeneration.