Axonal regeneration through heat pretreated muscle autografts. An immunohistochemical and electron microscopic study

We have compared the regeneration of axons through frozen-thawed or heated muscle autografts in the sciatic nerve of adult rats. Our results have shown that axons regenerate through muscle grafts which had been either frozen-thawed or heated to 60 degrees C prior to transplantation. However, axons failed to regenerate through muscle grafts which had been pre-heated to 80 degrees C. We speculate that this difference may be related to the thermal lability of components of muscle basal lamina, such as laminin and fibronectin, which are known to play an important role in axonal outgrowth.