Objective: To investigate the differences in biomechanical properties between fresh and chemically extracted acellular peripheral nerve.
Methods: Thirty-six sciatic nerves were harvested from 18 adult male Wistar rats of 3 months old and randomly assigned into 3 groups (n = 12 per group): normal control group (group A), the nerve segments received no treatment; Sondell method group (group B), the nerve segments were chemically extracted with the detergents of Triton X-100 and sodium deoxycholate; and improved method group (group C), chemically extracted acellular treatment of nerve was done with the detergents of Triton X-200, Sulfobetaine-10 (SB-10), and SB-16. After the acellularization, the structural changes of nerves in each group were observed by HE staining and field emission scanning electron microscope, then the biomechanical properties of nerves were tested using mechanical apparatus (Endura TEC ELF 3200).
Results: HE staining and field emission scanning electron microscope showed that the effect of acellularization of group C was similar to that of group B, but the effects of demyelination and integrity of nerve fiber tube of group C were better than those of group B; the structure of broken nerves was more chaotic than before biomechanical test. The biomechanical test showed that the ultimate load, ultimate stress, ultimate strain, mechanical work to fracture in group A were the largest, the next was group C, the least was group B; the tenacity and elastic modulus in group C were the largest, the next was group B, the least was group A; but the differences were not significant (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: Compared with Sondell method, the nerve treated by improved method is more appropriate for use in vivo.