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Updated: Jul 26, 2025
Combining Peripheral Nerve Grafting and Matrix Modulation to Repair the Injured Rat Spinal Cord
Published on: November 20, 2009
Decellularized Graft for Repairing Severe Peripheral Nerve Injuries in Sheep
Estefanía Contreras1,2, Sara Traserra1,2, Sara Bolívar1,3
1Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Institute of Neuroscience, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra , Spain.
Background And Objectives:
Peripheral nerve injuries resulting in a nerve defect require surgical repair. The gold standard of autograft (AG) has several limitations, and therefore, new alternatives must be developed. The main objective of this study was to assess nerve regeneration through a long gap nerve injury (50 mm) in the peroneal nerve of sheep with a decellularized nerve allograft (DCA).
Methods:
A 5-cm long nerve gap was made in the peroneal nerve of sheep and repaired using an AG or using a DCA. Functional tests were performed once a month and electrophysiology and echography evaluations at 6.5 and 9 months postsurgery. Nerve grafts were harvested at 9 months for immunohistochemical and morphological analyses.
Results:
The decellularization protocol completely eliminated the cells while preserving the extracellular matrix of the nerve. No significant differences were observed in functional tests of locomotion and pain response. Reinnervation of the tibialis anterior muscles occurred in all animals, with some delay in the DCA group compared with the AG group. Histology showed a preserved fascicular structure in both AG and DCA; however, the number of axons distal to the nerve graft was higher in AG than in DCA.
Conclusion:
The decellularized graft assayed supported effective axonal regeneration when used to repair a 5-cm long gap in the sheep. As expected, a delay in functional recovery was observed compared with the AG because of the lack of Schwann cells.
