Recording of Electrophysiological Changes and Sensory Function by Conduit Containing Stem Cells, Gold Nanoparticles and Neurotrophic Factor after Sciatic Nerve Regeneration

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of electrospun scaffolds fabricated of poly (Lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) was coated by laminin, which are used as conduits to axon growth.

48 adult male Wistar rats were used in this study. These rats were divided into 6 groups, including a healthy control group, and in the other five groups, in addition to 10 mm damage to the sciatic nerve, various treatments were performed, including the Poly (L-lactide-co-glycolide) conduit group coated by laminin and filled with culture medium, PLGA conduit group coated by laminin and filled with rat adipose tissue-derived stem cells, PLGA conduit group coated by laminin containing gold nanoparticles and Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) encapsulated in chitosan, PLGA conduit group coated by laminin containing gold nanoparticles and BDNF encapsulated in chitosan, which filled with rat adipose tissue-derived stem cells, or in the group Sixth, PLGA conduit group coated by laminin containing gold nanoparticles and BDNF encapsulated in chitosan, which filled with rat adipose tissue-derived stem cells suspended in alginate hydrogel. 12 weeks after implantation of conduits to the 10 mm defect of rat sciatic nerve, nerve regeneration and functional recovery were evaluated by behavioral tests and electrophysiology tests.

Three months post-operatively, the results of sensory analyses in all animals showed that sensory reinnervation on their foot returned almost completely, regardless of their experimental group. Also, different degrees of increase in CMAP (Compound Muscle Action Potential) amplitude were observed in all groups. However, their increase was significantly lower than the control group, while the latency in the groups containing nanoparticles and cells suspended in alginate did not show a significant difference compared to the control group.

The findings showed that electrophysiological and sensory tests can be effective methods to evaluate the peripheral nerve regeneration.