RatOtherSprague-DawleyMixed sex, with sex-matched experimental groupsn = 25 rats in total, 12 in the ELP group and 13 in the empty c…Surgical implantation into the lumen of a nerve guidance conduit at the injury site3% weight per volume final ELP concentration, RGD concentra…At the time of injury, in the same operation as the transection
Model: Acute complete sciatic nerve transection approximately 2 mm above the trifurcation with a 5 mm segment removed to create a 10 mm gap, bridged by a 14 mm silicone conduit (inner diameter 1.98 mm) sutured with 9-0 nylon
ELP-filled conduits produced tissue bridges in all animals and a significantly higher sciatic functional index at 6 weeks than empty conduits, but compound muscle action potential amplitude, conduction velocity and muscle atrophy did not differ significantly between groups.