Efficacy of Human Cell-seeded Muscle-Stuffed Vein Conduit in Rat Sciatic Nerve Repair

We investigated the efficacy of a muscle-stuffed vein seeded with neural-transdifferentiated human mesenchymal stem cells as an alternative nerve conduit to repair a 15-mm sciatic nerve defect in athymic rats.Other rats received either muscle-stuffed vein conduit alone, commercial polyglycolic acid conduit (Neurotube®), reverse autograft or were left untreated. Motor and sensory functions as well as nerve conductivity were evaluated for 12 weeks, after which the grafts were harvested for histological analyses. All rats in the treatment groups demonstrated a progressive increase in the mean Sciatic Functional Index (motor function) and nerve conduction amplitude (electrophysiological function); and showed positive withdrawal reflex (sensory function) by the 10th week of post-implantation. Autotomy, which is associated with neuropathic pain, was severe in rats treated with conduit without cells; there was mild or no autotomy in the rats of other groups. Histologically, harvested grafts from all except the u...