Development of enhanced nerve graft combined with autologous nerve graft and stem cells.

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26861499
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Plastic surgery
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Tomita Koichi 大阪大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (90423178)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 脂肪組織由来間葉系幹細胞 / シュワン細胞 / 神経グラフト

Outline of Final Research Achievements

One of the major problems with nerve grafts is that the survival of a graft segment, including endoneurial Schwann cells (SCs), is uncertain. In this study, we investigated whether the survival of nerve grafts improves when adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are incorporated into the grafts. Grafts were entubulated to isolate them from the blood supply of surrounding tissues, mimicking the clinical conditions of a poorly vascularized recipient bed. When ASCs were transplanted to the epineurial layer of the grafts, the number of endoneurial TUNEL-positive cells decreased significantly, as compared to grafts without ASCs, at 10 days postoperatively. Walking track analysis also revealed that animals with the ASC-transplanted grafts had significantly faster motor function recovery, as compared to those with grafts without ASCs. These results suggest that nerve autografts, in combination with ASC therapy, could offer a new approach to obtaining optimal outcomes after peripheral nerve injury.

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