Background: Recently decellularized nerves with various methods are reported as highly functional nerve grafts for the treatment of nerve defects.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of decellularized allogeneic nerve, compared with oriented chitosan mesh tube, and an autologous nerve.
Methods: Sciatic nerves harvested from Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were decellularized in combination with Sodium dodecyl sulfate and Triton X-100. A graft into the sciatic nerve in Wistar rats was performed with the decellularized SD rat sciatic nerves or oriented chitosan nonwoven nanofiber mesh tubes (15 mm in length, N=5 in each group). A portion of sciatic nerve of Wistar rat was cut, reversed and re-sutured in-situ as a control. Nerve functional and histological evaluations were performed 25 weeks postoperatively.
Results: It was revealed that functional, electrophysiological and histological recoveries in the decellularized nerve group match those in the autograft group. Recovery of sensory function and nerve maturation in the decellularized nerve group were superior to those in the chitosan mesh tube group.
Conclusions: Nerve regeneration in the decellularized nerves could match that in the autografts and is somehow superior to artificial chitosan mesh tube. Detergents wash of SDS and Triton X-100 could obtain highly functional nerve grafts from allografts.
Keywords: Decellularized nerve; chitosan mesh tube; peripheral nerve regeneration.