Delivery of Nitric Oxide-Releasing Silica Nanoparticles for In-vivo Revascularization and Functional Recovery after Nerve Autografting
Ji Hun Park, MD1, Jungil Lee, MD PhD2, Myoung-Ryul Ok, PhD3 and Jong Woong Park, Professor, MD, PhD1, (1)Korea University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South), (2)Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South), (3)Korea Institute of Science & Technology, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South)
Nitric oxide (NO) modulates revascularization and axonal regeneration after peripheral nerve injury. Recently introduced nanoparticle-based scaffolds enable the controlled and sustained delivery of NO to targeted tissue. The aim of this study was to determine whether exogenous NO-releasing nanoparticles promote new vessel formation, as well as motor functional recovery, after repair of short sciatic nerve defects in rats. A 10-mm sciatic nerve defect was created in rats and reconstructed with the reversed nerve autograft. Grafted nerve was augmented with fibrin gel in the presence or absence of NO-releasing nanoparticles. On day 7, microangiography showed significantly higher neural vessel density in the NO-treated group. Although both groups showed significant improvement in functional outcome up to 16 weeks during the survival period, the regeneration outcome did not reflect differences in early vessel density. Nerve histomorphometry showed no significant difference in the two groups when comparing the number of total axons, myelinated axon diameter, and N ratio at four, eight, and 16 weeks. These findings suggest that NO-releasing nanoparticle treatment has the effect of promoting nerve graft neovascularization in rats; however, this effect did not translate into improved functional recovery.
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