Nerve allografts as a bridge through which lost nerve can regenerate is useful in the repair of peripheral nerve defect resulting from trauma, neoplasm and leprosy. But immunological rejection and complicated scar formation is an unaboidable problem i...
Nerve allografts as a bridge through which lost nerve can regenerate is useful in the repair of peripheral nerve defect resulting from trauma, neoplasm and leprosy. But immunological rejection and complicated scar formation is an unaboidable problem in the application of allogenic nerves.
This article is intended to study histopathological and immunohistochemical response after fresh allogenic sciatic nerve grafts in rats. 12 male Sprague- Dawley rats were used as the experimental animals. A 2cm skin incision was made on the lateral aspects of limb, parallel to the femur. 1cm-long sciatic nerve trunk taken from the one rat was resected at the middle of the to high, and it was transplanted to the same area of the other rat with perineural suture method. Observation was made at the postoperative 1, 3, 8, 16 day. The results were as follows.
1. Histopathologically, destruction of the perineural sheath was observed only in 1-day group.
2. Mild degenerative changes of the nucleus and cytoplasm of Schwann cells were ovserved in the 1-day and 3-day groups. These changes gradually resolved.
3. Hollow space phenomena of the nucleus and cytoplasm of schwann cells were observed. The response was mild in the 1 day and 3 day groups, and moderate in the 8 day group. The phenomena were not identified in the 16 day group.
4. Immunohistochemical studies revealed pan T cells and cytotoxic T cells in the 1 day group. Increased numbers of cytotoxic T Cells and helper T cells were observed in the 3 and 8 day groups.
5. According to these results, after transplantation of fresh allogenic sciatic nerve an inflammatory response was observed up to 8 days and then gradually resolved. Degenerative changes were more severe up to 8 days, but an the 16th day they had resolved histopathologically and immunopathologically.