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Hyaluronic acid enhances peripheral nerve regeneration in vivo
Author(s) -
Wang KaiKai,
Nemeth Ira R.,
Seckel Brooke R.,
ChakalisHaley Dimitria P.,
Swann David A.,
Kuo JingWen,
Bryan David J.,
Cetrulo Curtis L.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
microsurgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.031
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1098-2752
pISSN - 0738-1085
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2752(1998)18:4<270::aid-micr11>3.0.co;2-v
Subject(s) - medicine , regeneration (biology) , hyaluronic acid , peripheral nerve , in vivo , peripheral , surgery , anatomy , microbiology and biotechnology , biology
Hyaluronic acid has been shown to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration in vitro. It has been proposed that, during the fibrin matrix phase of regeneration, hyaluronic acid organizes the extracellular matrix into a hydrated open lattice, thereby facilitating migration of the regenerating axons. Hyaluronic acid solutions and saline control solutions were injected into a nerve guide spanning a transected gap in the sciatic nerve of Sprague‐Dawley rats (five in each group). Nerve conduction velocities were measured at 4 weeks by electromyography (EMG) before sacrifice of the animals. These studies demonstrated increased conduction velocities in the hyaluronic acid group compared with control animals ( P = 0.006). After the animals were sacrificed, regenerated axon cables were quantified histologically, and axon branching was delineated by retrograde tracer analysis. In addition, the hyaluronic acid group showed an increase in myelinated axon counts at 4 weeks ( P = 0.03). An increase in retrograde flow was demonstrated in the hyaluronic acid groups compared with animals receiving saline solution. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. MICROSURGERY 18:270–275, 1998