Affiliations: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keio University,
Tokyo, Japan | Department of Animal Physiology, Lund University,
Lund, Sweden | Department of Hand Surgery, University Hospital,
Malmö, Sweden
Note: [] Corresponding author: Lars B. Dahlin, Department of Hand
Surgery, Malmö University Hospital, SE-205 02 Malmö, Sweden. Tel.:
+46 40 336769; Fax: +46 40 928855; E-mail: Lars.Dahlin@hand.mas.lu.se.
Abstract: Purpose: To compare nerve regeneration in autologous detergent
extracted and freeze-thawed muscle grafts and to electrophoretically
characterize the grafts. Methods: Autologous acellular muscie grafts were
created either by freeze/thawing or by detergent extraction and then used to
bridge a 10 mm gap in rat sciatic nerve. The autologous grafts were compared
with respect to protein content, using electrophoresis preimplantation, and
axonal outgrowth, Schwann cell and macrophage content, using
immunocytochemistry (neurofilaments, S-100 protein, ED 1 macrophages) at
520 days postimplantation. Results: The extracted muscle grafts were
elastic, but the amount of several proteins was reduced and laminin was still
present at a position of basal laminae of the muscle fibers. The freeze/thawed
grafts were brittle and lacked elasticity, but resulted in minor changes in
major proteins. The axons regenerated through both types of grafts (initial
delay 6 days and rate 0.7-0.8 mm/day), which shrunk in length by 25%. There
were no apparent differences with respect to Schwann cells and macrophages.
Conclusions: The results suggest that detergent extracted muscle tissue, in
which some basal lamina proteins remain but cells are removed, could present a
new favourable option for nerve grafting.
