The Effects of Regular Sport and Nanofibrous Conduit on Peripheral Nerve Repair: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study

Abstract

In the current research, the effects of a regular sport program was investigated on peripheral nerve regeneration in a rat model. The critical sized peripheral nerve gap was created in a rat model and the nerve injury gap was bridged by an electrospun polycaprolacton/collagen-based neural conduit. After bridging the nerve gap, the animals received a regular exercise three times a week until week 8. Study showed that the regular exercise program significantly augmented the level of sciatic nerve repair as evidenced by histopathological examinations and functional recovery experiments. Gene expression studies showed that rats treated with regular exercise had higher expression levels of BDNF, NGF, and b-FGF genes.