Electrophysiologic evaluation of peripheral nerve regeneration through allografts immunosuppressed with cyclosporin

A model was designed to evaluate the long-term in vivo electrophysiology of rat peripheral nerve transplants. The application of this model was demonstrated using cyclosporin (CSA) immunosuppression of recipient animals to facilitate peripheral nerve regeneration through nerve allografts. Isogenic Brown Norway (BN) rats [RT1n] were divided into three groups: two received Lewis (LE) rat [RT1l] allografts and one received BN isografts. One allograft recipient group received CSA immunosuppression for the duration of the investigation (150 days). Successful nerve regeneration in the isograft and the immunosuppressed allograft recipient groups was determined by immunohistochemical methods and serial in vivo electrophysiologic techniques to measure nerve conduction velocity and evoked compound muscle action potential amplitude. Statistical analysis of these results indicate that: (a) CSA immunosuppression of peripheral nerve allograft recipients facilitates peripheral nerve regeneration which is indistinguishable from isograft recipient controls at the functioning axon level; and (b) in vivo electrophysiologic monitoring in this model is particularly useful for long term peripheral nerve transplantation studies permitting serial assessment of regeneration with little morbidity.