Effects of individual differences of constructed muscle bridge on neural regeneration / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Studies on the reparation of peripheral nervous system are not only a key focus in medical research, but also a major topic for biologists, biochemical engineers and materialogy specialists. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the individual difference of ideal muscle bridging neurologic defect configuration on nerve regeneration. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: The control experiment was performed at the Shenyang Medical College from June 2004 to September 2005. MATERIALS Ten common dogs weighing 20-30 kg were used in this study. METHODS: After intravenous anesthesia, muscle strips in the caudal right sartorius and middle musculus flexor digitorum superficialis of dogs were sliced into two segments. One was observed by dissection under a stereoscope. Another received Haematoxylin & Eosin (HE) Staining and transverse area of muscle fiber of distal and proximal ends was analyzed by image analysis. The same muscle strip was sutured at 2 cm neurologic defect region of autologous left and right limbs. Number of medullated nerve fibers was measured after osmic acid staining. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Morphological difference of muscle bridge, transverse area of muscle fiber of distal and proximal ends, and number of medullated nerve fibers at bridging femoral nerve defect of left and right limbs. RESULTS: The muscle fiber in sartorius paralleled the longitudinal axis of muscle strip. The angle between muscle fiber in musculus flexor digitorum superficialis and the longitudinal axis of muscle strip was big. 80% muscle fiber in sartorius was equa1 to the length of the muscle bridge. Muscle fiber in the musculus flexor digitorum superficialis was shorter than the length of muscle strip. Muscle fiber in the musculus flexor digitorum superficialis was thick, whereas muscle fiber in sartorius was thin. There were significantly differences in transverse area of muscle fiber in the two kinds of muscle bridges (P