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Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Isolation of Human Umbilical Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells HUASMC
Published on: July 3, 2010
Decellularized Human Umbilical Artery Used as Nerve Conduit
Ioanna Gontika1, Michalis Katsimpoulas2, Efstathios Antoniou3
1Hellenic Cord Blood Bank, Biomedical Research Foudation Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou Street, 11527 Athens, Greece. igontika@bioacademy.gr.
Abstract:
Treatment of injuries to peripheral nerves after a segmental defect is one of the most challenging surgical problems. Despite advancements in microsurgical techniques, complete recovery of nerve function after repair has not been achieved. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of the decellularized human umbilical artery (hUA) as nerve guidance conduit. A segmental peripheral nerve injury was created in 24 Sprague⁻Dawley rats. The animals were organized into two experimental groups with different forms of repair: decellularized hUA (n = 12), and autologous nerve graft (n = 12). Sciatic faction index and gastrocnemius muscle values were calculated for functional recovery evaluation. Nerve morphometry was used to analyze nerve regeneration. Results showed that decellularized hUAs after implantation were rich in nerve fibers and characterized by improved Sciatic Functional index (SFI) values. Decellularized hUA may support elongation and bridging of the 10 mm nerve gap.
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