ABSTRACT
The effect of concanavalin A (Con A) on nerve regeneration in heterograft was done in the present study. A segment about 5mm long was removed from the right sciatic nerve of adult rats. A 8mm of the heterograft nerve segment from the tibial nerve of the rabbit and pretreated by Con A was transplanted into the gap of the severed rat nerve. Regenerating nerve fibers were found from the proximal part of the sciatic nerve into the graft, and also from the graft into the distal part of the sciatic nerve at the 4th,8th and 12th week after transplantation. Regenerating nerve fibers existed separately or clustered into fascicles in the graft,as well as in the distal part of sciatic nerve. Some unmyeli-nated nerve fibers were scattered among the regenerating myelinated fibers. The gastrocnemius muscle was AChE-positive at 8th and 12th week after transplantation. In silver-combined AChE staining section, the regenerating nerve fibers could be seen connecting with the motor endplates. There were regenerating free nerve endings and nerve fascicles in the dermis and epidermis at 8th and 12th week after transplantation. The present study showed that the pretreatment of Con A had benefit to that the regenerating nerve fibers to pass through the heterograft and reinnervated to the targetes.ADepartment of Anatomy,Jiangxi Medical College,Nanchang 330006,China