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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Combining Peripheral Nerve Grafting and Matrix Modulation to Repair the Injured Rat Spinal Cord
Published on: November 20, 2009
Peripheral nerve regeneration: comparison of laminin and acidic fibroblast growth factor
D J Trigg1, K M O'Grady, T Bhattacharyya
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine, IL, USA.
Purpose:
In an effort to show the differences between neurotrophic factors, laminin and acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) were compared in terms of their abilities to regenerate axons in vivo over an extended distance.
Materials And Methods:
The sciatic nerve was transected in 15 Sprague-Dawley rats. A 15-mm Silastic tube (Dow Corning, Midland, MI) was placed between the ends of the cut nerve and filled with either laminin, aFGF, or buffer applied to collagen sponges.
Results:
Ten weeks postimplantation, mean axon counts showed that both laminin (2432) and aFGF (1612) produced significantly higher numbers of axons than controls (1009) (P < .05) and that laminin showed significantly more nerve regeneration than aFGF (P < .05).
Conclusion:
These results indicate that laminin and aFGF enhance peripheral nerve regeneration across a large gap, presumably through their neurotrophic effects and mitogenic properties on supporting cells. Furthermore, it is concluded that the transient nature of aFGF's effect on the regenerative environment limits its effectiveness at regenerating axons over a prolonged period of time.
