Adipose‐derived stem cells and the stromal vascular fraction in polyglycolic acid‐collagen nerve conduits promote rat facial nerve regeneration

Abstract

Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) promote nerve regeneration. Biodegradable nerve conduits are used to treat peripheral nerve injuries, but their efficiencies are lower than those of autologous nerve grafts. This study developed biodegradable nerve conduits containing ADSCs and SVF and evaluated their facial nerve regenerating abilities in a rat model with a 7-mm nerve defect. SVF and ADSCs were individually poured into nerve conduits with polyglycolic acid-type I collagen as a scaffold (ADSCs and SVF groups). The conduits were grafted on to the nerve defects. As the control, the defect was bridged with polyglycolic acid-collagen nerve conduits without cells. At 13 weeks, after transplantation, the regenerated nerves were evaluated physiologically and histologically. The compound muscle action potential of the SVF group was significantly higher in amplitude than that of the control group. Electron microscopy showed that the axon diameter of the SVF group was the largest, followed by the ADSC group and control group with significant differences among them. The SVF group had the largest fiber diameter, followed by the ADSC group and control group with significant differences among them. The ADSC group had the highest myelin thickness, followed by the SVF group and control group with significant differences among them. Identical excellent promoting effects on nerve regeneration were observed in both the ADSC and SVF groups. Using SVF in conduits was more practical than using ADSCs because only the enzymatic process was required to prepare SVF, indicating that SVF could be more suitable to induce nerve regeneration.

Nöroanastomoz Sonrası Stromal Vasküler Fraksiyonun Nörorejeneratif Etkisinin Histolojik ve Elektromiyografik Değerlendirilmesi

“…In addition, Sta et al [38] , has been stated that the electrophysiologic evaluation is very sensitive in early stage nerve regeneration. Amplitudes, an indicator of regenerated axon count [7,9,19,32] , increased gradually in all groups at PO 8 th weeks. As informed by Martins et al [39] , the highest amplitude was determined in fibrin glue group (GRIII) at PO 8 th week.…”

“…SVF is a rich cellular source containing preadipocytes, mesenchymal stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells and adipose tissue-derived macropages [5,12,14,[16][17][18] . SVF, composed of heterogeneous cell groups, contributes to nerve regeneration with its angiogenic and immunosuppressive effects [17,19] . Therefore, SVF has many indications such as lipotransfer, cardiac diseases, diabetes-related complications, nerve regeneration and burn wounds [12,14,16,17] .…”

Tailoring synthetic polymeric biomaterials towards nerve tissue engineering: a review

“…At variance with silicone tube conduits, PGA based scaffolds are semipermeable and slowly hydrolyzed in vivo [94]. The slow degradation pattern and good mechanical properties of PGA make it a suitable material for nerve regeneration.…”

The Regenerative Potential of Facial Nerve Motoneurons following Chronic Axotomy in Rats

“…Some scholars have also made some progress in promoting the recovery of injured facial nerve function by using degradable neural catheters and dedifferentiated fat cells [ 18 ], either by local administration of nerve catheters (e.g., neurotrophic factors) [ 19 ] or by injecting stem cells into nerve ducts [ 20 – 23 ].…”