Purpose: While many studies have been conducted on peripheral nerve regeneration, few have focused on strengthening the nerve autografts. This study hypothesized that adding autologous stromal vascular fraction (SVF) to a nerve autograft will improve nerve regeneration. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of nerve autograft with and without SVF.
Methods: An adipose tissue sample was excised from the right inguinal region of female Wistar rats, and SVF was separated by centrifugation. The left sciatic nerve was resected at a length of 15 mm and the defect was bridged by a resected nerve autograft. We added SVF with collagen gel around the nerve autograft in the SVF group and added saline in the control group. At 12 weeks after surgery, the wet muscle weight, distal latency, and amplitude of the compound muscle action potential of the tibialis anterior were evaluated by the ratio of left and right sides. Sciatic functional index (SFI) was also evaluated.
Results: The wet muscle weight was significantly better in the SVF group than in the control group. The results of distal latency, amplitude, and SFI were not significantly different between the two groups; however, these results tended to be better in the SVF group than in the control group.
Conclusion: SVF added to artificial nerve grafts has been reported to promote axonal regeneration through secretion of angiogenic, neurotrophic, and anti-apoptotic factors. This study indicates that SVF may also be effective for nerve autografts and improve the clinical result of nerve autograft.
Keywords: Nerve autograft; Peripheral nerve; Regeneration; Stromal vascular fraction.