Effects of Neural Regeneration in a Nerve Conduit Across a Large Gap of The Transected Sciatic Nerve in Rats With a Light-Emitting Diode Phototherapy

• Main Authors: SHA, YA-NA, 沙亞拿
• Other Authors: LIU, BAI-SHUAN
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/u2cz98

碩士 === 中臺科技大學 === 醫學影像暨放射科學系暨研究所 === 105 === This paper proposes a novel biodegradable nerve conduit made using genipin-cross-linked chitosan and carbon nanotubes (GCC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of phototherapy using a 640-nm-wavelength light-emitting diode on the neurorehabilitation of transected sciatic nerves after bridging the GCC nerve guide conduit in rats. The proposed GCC nerve guide conduit has a cylindrical shape, dark blue color; the interior of the nerve bridge was hollow to aid in guiding the growth of the damaged nerve fiber. The rats were divided into three groups: a sham-irradiated group (GCC/Sham group); an experimental group, undergoing light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy (GCC/LED group); and a control group, undergoing autologous nerve grafts (Autograft group). Each group consisted of six rats, or a total of 18 rats were included in the examination. Initially, twelve weeks after implantation, the mean sciatic functional index (SFI) of the GCC/LED group was higher than the mean SFI of the GCC/Sham group in each period after surgery. Before the rats were sacrificed, there were no observable pathological phenomena, and the conduit had adequate structural strength and biocompatibility. Muscle atrophy in the GCC/LED and Autograft groups was significantly reduced (P< 0.05) compared with that the GCC/Sham group. The histomorphological assessments revealed that the GCC/LED group had undergone more rapid nerve regeneration than the GCC/Sham group. This study investigated the effectiveness of different modes of LED phototherapy in the repair of damaged sciatic nerves. The improvements in the motor function, muscular reinnervation, and histomorphometric assessments demonstrate that LED phototherapy accelerates the repair of a transected peripheral nerve in rats after bridging with GCC conduit.