Immunocytochemistry of skeletal muscle basal lamina grafts in nerve regeneration

The influence on nerve regeneration of the extracellular matrix glycoprotein laminin was studied after sciatic nerve transection in 90 outbred Sprague-Dawley rats. Nerve regeneration through basal lamina grafts was comparable with regeneration through traditional nerve grafts across gaps up to 2.0 cm in length. True axonal regeneration rather than axonal branching was demonstrated by retrograde horseradish peroxidase labeling of nerve cables. Pretreatment of basal lamina grafts with antilaminin antibodies reduced the total number of regenerated axons by 90 percent with a significant decrease of nerve conduction velocity and a significant impairment of walking track patterns. The basement membrane glycoprotein laminin serves a critical role in the regeneration of peripheral nerves through basal lamina grafts.