Peg-Enhanced Behavioral Recovery After Sciatic Nerve Transection and Either Suturing Or Sleeve Conduit Deployment in Rats

Abstract Polyethylene glycol (PEG) has previously been reported to improve outcomes of peripheral nerve microsuturing. However, recent studies have challenged this finding. Given its clinical importance, we investigated the potential of PEG as a facilitator of peripheral nerve restoration. The sciatic nerve of 144 rats was transected and submitted either to simple suturing (Group A), PEG-enhanced suturing (Group B), and insertion in an arterial sleeve conduit without PEG (Group C), or with PEG (Group D) in equal numbers. Behavioral recovery was assessed with the sciatic function index (SFI). Nerve impulse conduction was assessed with compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs). Histology comprised standard hematoxylin/eosin staining, electron microscopy and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) immunohistochemistry. Expression of GDNF was also assessed with western blotting. Results were evaluated at weeks 1, 4, and 8. PEG treatment significantly improved behavioral recovery and morphology of nerve restoration, particularly in the sleeve conduit group, relative to that of controls. In conclusion, PEG may improve outcomes of peripheral nerve reconstruction.

• Publication year

  2019

• Venue

  Journal of investigative surgery

• Publication date

  2019-08-22

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Engineering

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1080/08941939.2019.1654047PMID 31438740
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Nerve Repair

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