Institute of Neurosciences, Department Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
Integral Service for Laboratory Animals (SIAL), Faculty of Veterinary, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jan 10;24(2):1333. doi: 10.3390/ijms24021333.
Despite advances in microsurgery, full functional recovery of severe peripheral nerve injuries is not commonly attained. The sheep appears as a good preclinical model since it presents nerves with similar characteristics to humans. In this study, we induced 5 or 7 cm resection in the peroneal nerve and repaired with an autograft. Functional evaluation was performed monthly. Electromyographic and ultrasound tests were performed at 6.5 and 9 months postoperation (mpo). No significant differences were found between groups with respect to functional tests, although slow improvements were seen from 5 mpo. Electrophysiological tests showed compound muscle action potentials (CMAP) of small amplitude at 6.5 mpo that increased at 9 mpo, although they were significantly lower than the contralateral side. Ultrasound tests showed significantly reduced size of tibialis anterior (TA) muscle at 6.5 mpo and partially recovered size at 9 mpo. Histological evaluation of the grafts showed good axonal regeneration in all except one sheep from autograft 7 cm (AG7) group, while distal to the graft there was a higher number of axons than in control nerves. The results indicate that sheep nerve repair is a useful model for investigating long-gap peripheral nerve injuries.
尽管显微外科技术取得了进展，但严重周围神经损伤的完全功能恢复并不常见。绵羊作为一种很好的临床前模型，因为它的神经与人的神经具有相似的特征。在这项研究中，我们在腓总神经中诱导 5 或 7 厘米的切除，并使用自体移植物进行修复。每月进行功能评估。在术后 6.5 和 9 个月（mpo）进行肌电图和超声检查。尽管从 5 mpo 开始有缓慢的改善，但各组在功能测试方面没有发现显著差异。电生理测试显示，6.5 mpo 时复合肌肉动作电位（CMAP）幅度较小，在 9 mpo 时增加，但明显低于对侧。超声检查显示，6.5 mpo 时胫骨前肌（TA）的大小明显减小，9 mpo 时部分恢复。除了一只自体移植物 7 厘米（AG7）组的绵羊外，所有移植物的组织学评估均显示出良好的轴突再生，而在移植物远端的轴突数量比对照神经多。结果表明，绵羊神经修复是研究长间隙周围神经损伤的有用模型。
