Intramuscular injection of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells with small gap neurorrhaphy for peripheral nerve repair

We had previously reported that small gap neurorrhaphy by scissoring and sleeve-jointing epineurium could enhance the rate and quality of peripheral nerve regeneration. To date, local implantation and systemic delivery of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have been routinely used in nerve tissue engineering, but they each have some intrinsic limitations. We hypothesised that targeted muscular administration of BMSCs capable of reaching the damaged nerve would be advisable. Here, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy of transplantation of BMSCs through targeted muscular injection with small gap neurorrhaphy by scissoring and sleeve-jointing epineurium on repairing peripheral nerve injury in a rat model. One week after a rat model of peripheral nerve injury was established by small gap neurorrhaphy, thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups (n=12): the intramuscular injection of BMSCs group (IM), the intravenous injection of BMSCs group (IV) and the intramuscular injection of phosphate-buffered solution group (PBS). The process of the nerve regeneration was assayed functionally and morphologically. The results indicated that compared to the IV-treated and PBS-treated groups, the targeted muscular injection therapy resulted in much more beneficial effects, as evidenced by increases in the sciatic function index, nerve conduction velocity, myelin sheath thickness and restoration rate of gastrocnemius muscle wet weight. In conclusion, the combination therapy of small gap neurorrhaphy and BMSC transplantation through targeted muscular injection can significantly promote the regeneration of peripheral nerve and improve the nerve's functional recovery, which may help establish a reliable approach for repairing peripheral nerve injury.