Healing in the tube

Injuries or surgical interventions can damage the peripheral nerves of the body. Defects along the course of nerve fibers lead to motor and sensory disorders. Peripheral nerves regenerate slowly, covering only small damages, large defects and ruptures are almost impossible to restore.

Currently, major damage to nerve fibers is treated by transplantation of nerve tissue from other parts of the body – the so-called autotransplantation. However, this approach does not work for all types of injuries, it is not applicable for defects larger than 2-3 cm and may be accompanied by the formation of a neuroma or loss of sensitivity.

Based on the results of previous work on rats, Neil Fadia and his colleagues tested a synthetic channel that helps repair damaged areas of nerves by directing the regrowth of neurons.

The device is a small tube–shaped object up to 5 cm long, made of biodegradable polyester – polycaprolactone - with microspheres that secrete glial cellular linear neurotrophic factor (GDNF) – a protein that supports the survival of neurons.

Microspheres containing nerve tissue growth factor on the wall of the synthetic channel. Source: Article in Science Translational Medicine.

When implanted in macaques with major defects of the nerves of the upper limb, the channel increased nerve regeneration and their ability to conduct signals for a year.

The animals recovered motor skills, as well as during autotransplantation. A sufficiently large number of cells have been found that synthesize myelin, a protein that isolates nerves and increases the rate of transmission of nerve impulses.

Article by N.B.Fadia et al. Long-gap peripheral nerve repair through sustained release of a neurotrophic factor in nonhuman primates is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on Nueroscience News: Synthetic nerve conduit bridges the gap in arm nerve repair.