Kavuncu Salih, Hamid Rauf, Sarıahmetoğlu Ömer Faruk
Department of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Medical Faculty, Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, 03030 Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye.
Department of Radiology, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, 34320 Istanbul, Türkiye.
Polymers (Basel). 2025 Jul 21;17(14):1992. doi: 10.3390/polym17141992.
Nerve injuries cause functional loss and psychosocial issues due to prolonged rehabilitation. Recently, 3D-modeled nerve conduits have been used to aid in surgical planning. This study investigated the impact of 3D-bioprinted PLA, chitosan, alginate, and collagen conduits on nerve regeneration in a rat sciatic nerve crush injury model. : This study, conducted at Kütahya University of Health Sciences, involves 50 rats were divided into four groups: (1) sham-operated controls, (2) sciatic nerve injury without treatment, (3) injury treated with a PLA conduit, and (4) injury treated with 3D-printed tubes composed of chitosan and alginate. The procedures were performed, blood was collected, and the rats were sacrificed after two months. Weekly checks for infection, scar healing, and motor responses were performed. : Rats with nerve conduits showed less macroscopic scarring. Weekly assessments of motor nerve recovery showed no movement restrictions in limbs treated with PLA conduits, graft conduits, or conduits bridging retracted nerve stumps, based on responses to stimulus checks. An infection developed in the sciatic nerve and surrounding muscle tissue of one rat with a bio-graft conduit, prompting histopathological examination to investigate its cause. : This proof-of-principle study demonstrates the feasibility of using 3D-printed biocompatible nerve conduits for peripheral nerve repair, providing a basis for future, more comprehensive investigations.
神经损伤会因长期康复导致功能丧失和心理社会问题。最近，3D建模的神经导管已被用于辅助手术规划。本研究在大鼠坐骨神经挤压伤模型中，研究了3D生物打印的聚乳酸（PLA）、壳聚糖、海藻酸盐和胶原蛋白导管对神经再生的影响。：本研究在屈塔希亚健康科学大学进行，将50只大鼠分为四组：（1）假手术对照组，（2）未经治疗的坐骨神经损伤组，（3）用PLA导管治疗的损伤组，（4）用由壳聚糖和海藻酸盐组成的3D打印管治疗的损伤组。进行了相关操作，采集了血液，并在两个月后对大鼠实施安乐死。每周检查感染情况、瘢痕愈合情况和运动反应。：植入神经导管的大鼠宏观瘢痕形成较少。基于对刺激检查的反应，对运动神经恢复的每周评估显示，用PLA导管、移植导管或连接回缩神经残端的导管治疗的肢体没有运动限制。一只植入生物移植导管的大鼠坐骨神经和周围肌肉组织发生感染，促使进行组织病理学检查以探究其原因。：这项原理验证研究证明了使用3D打印的生物相容性神经导管进行周围神经修复的可行性，为未来更全面的研究提供了基础。
