Biodegradable nanofiber coated human umbilical cord as nerve scaffold for sciatic nerve regeneration in albino Wistar rats.

Background: Human umbilical cord (hUC) is encompassed by a mucoid connective tissue called Wharton's jelly (WJ), made of hyaluronic acid, collagen, and stromal cells to support the blood vessels of hUC. This study was aimed to determine the in vitro neuronal differentiation of WJ-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs), and in vivo axonal regeneration potential of nanofiber coated human Wharton's jelly as a neuronal graft after sciatic nerve injury in immunosuppressed albino Wistar rats.

Materials and methods: Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells could be differentiated to neuron-like cells by inducing with neuronic supplementing media. The test animal's axotomized nerves were implanted with trimmed human umbilical cord devoid of vascularity and nanocoated with electro-spun poly-l-lactic acid nanofibers. The control animals were bridged with native sciatic nerve reversed and sutured. Post-surgical functional recovery was studied by walking track, pinprick, muscle weight, and sweating quantification. At the end of the 4th week, the animals were euthanized, and magnetoneurography was performed. The explanted grafts were quantified by immunohistochemistry for immuno-rejection, neural scarring, neural adhesion axon regeneration, fibre diameter, myelin thickness, and G-ratio. The sciatic function index values were similar by walking track analysis for both the test and control groups.

Results: The animals had functional and sensation recovery by the end of 2 weeks. No mortality, signs of inflammation, and acute immune rejection were observed post-surgery.

Conclusions: The hUCWJ devoid of vascular elements can be a perfect peripheral nerve graft, and we hypothesis that the cryopreserved hUC could be an ideal resource for axonal regeneration in the future.