The Effect of Human Amniotic Fluid in Decellularized Human Umbilical Vein Guide Channel on Sciatic Nerve Regeneration in Rats

Abstract

Background & Aims: The nerve autograft is the clinical gold standard in bridging nerve injury gaps, but it has severe disadvantages. The human umbilical vein (HUV) is suitable for multiple vascular reconstructive usages. The purpose of the present survey was to assess nerve regeneration by human amniotic fluid (AF) in the HUV channel. Materials& Methods: In this study, 32 adult male rats (250-300g) were randomly divided into four groups: HUV+AF, HUV+normal saline (NS), Autograft, sham surgery. A centimeter gap in the sciatic nerve was grafted by autograft or HUV. Nerve regeneration was examined on days 28 and 90 after surgery by sciatic function index (SFI), electrophysiological assessments, histology, and immunohistology staining. Results: On days 60 and 90 after surgery, the SFI in the groups of autograft and HUV+AF was more than HUV+NS group (p <0.05). On the 90th day, the average nerve conduction velocity (NCV) and the number of myelinated axons in autograft and HUV+AF groups were significantly more than HUV+NS group (p <0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study display that the HUV+AF may have beneficial effect for the treatment of peripheral nerve damages.

Keywords

• nerve regeneration
• human umbilical vein
• nerve guidance channel
• amniotic fluid
• rat