A nerve bridge technique is the introduction of both ends of the injured nerve stumps into a tubular chamber, which can offer the advantages of minimizing invasion and scarring of the nerve. Biodegradable nerve conduits can avoid the damaging problem of re-operation after embedding the conduit. Application of blending traditional chinese medicine and biomedical material to nerve regeneration is a new approach.
This study evaluated peripheral nerve regeneration using a biodegradable nerve conduit, which was composed of glutaraldehyde cross-linked gelatin and blended with traditional chinese medicine (Berberine). In the cell culture test, we found that the berberine could be an effective accelerator for Schwann cells proliferation. The amount of berberine released from biodegradable nerve conduit was analyzed by Spectrophotometer and the test extended for 20 days at least. Histological observation showed that more axons and schwann cells had crossed through and beyond the gap region after 7 weeks of implantation. These results indicate the superiority of the biodegradable nerve conduits blended with traditional chinese medicine and not only be an effective aids for regenerating nerves but can also lead to favorable nerve functional recovery.
