Influence of the number of stitches in axonal regeneration and production of extracellular matrix in end-to-end epineural suture in the rat sciatic nerve / Influência do número de pontos na regeneração axonal e produção de matriz extracelular na sutura epineural terminoterminal no nervo ciático do rato

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2010

RESUMO

PURPOSE: After an injury to a peripheral nerve, its repair is performed with epineural sutures of the stumps using nylon. The inflammatory process caused by the passage of the needle and the presence of suture material with the consequent formation of scar tissue at the suture line becomes an obstacle to axonal regeneration after nerve repair. In the literature there is a hypothesis that the use of a smaller number of points needed to ensure the union of the two stumps is correlated with better axonal regeneration. It was evaluated the influence of different number of end-to-end epineural sutures in rat sciatic nerve on axonal regeneration and the remodeling of the extracellular matrix through the characterization of collagen type I and III present at the suture according to the number of stitches. METHODS: Thirty male Wistar rats were operated on to exposure the right sciatic nerve and were divided in three groups. In two groups the nerve was sectioned and immediately repaired by means of three (Group 3P, n=10) or six (Group 6P, n=10) epineurium sutures using 10-0 monofilament nylon. One group (Group C, n=10) was used as a control to assess normal values of all evaluated parameters. Each animal from repaired groups underwent electrophysiologic evaluation previously to nerve section and at 8-week interval after neurorrhaphy, consisting of motor action potential recording from the gastrocnemius muscle. Nerve biopsy specimens were used for histomorphometric assessment of axonal regeneration, evaluated by axonal counting and measurement of fiber diameter, and for collagen characterization and quantification at repair site. Immunofluorescence was used for characterization of types I and III collagen at epineurium and endoneurium. RESULTS: The axonal regeneration index (RI) was lower in the group submitted to suture with six stitches (RI = 1.18 ± 0.26) than in the group of three stitches (RI = 1.32 ± 0.25) and the group submitted to six stitches showed a greater reduction in conduction velocity of nerve action potential. Animals submitted to suture with six stitches showed a significant difference in the production of epineural collagen type I (p = 0.014) and type III (p = 0.002) compared to animals submitted to suture with three stitches. There was no significant difference in production of endoneural collagen type I or type III. CONCLUSIONS: The group submitted a greater number of epineural sutures had a higher amount of collagen type I and III in the epineurium but not in the endoneurium, which correlated with a lower rate of axonal regeneration and a greater reduction in conduction velocity of action potential nerve.

ASSUNTO(S)

nervos periféricos regeneração nervosa peripheral nervous system/surgery collagen type i nerve regeneration sistema nervoso periférico/cirurgia colágeno tipo iii ratos wistar peripheral nerves collagen type iii extracellular matrix colágeno tipo i rats wistar matriz extracelular

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